Three Days of Feasts and not Only
by Alex the Kritkanzer
Summary: Ch. 26. The Latin Grammar. Last daily tribute to J.K.Rowling and Notwolf - some pretty wild thoughts heavily leaning on Bulgarian folklore and the idea of Durmstrang being somewhere there. Piles of history lessons' references. Enjoy! Canon compliant
1. Chapter 01 Of Horses and Their Food

_Autor's note: I would like to thank to both J.K. Rowling and Notwolf for the chance to play with their respective toys - and hope you will have fun doing the same. Please regard the following as a tribute to their talent and dedication to the creative miracles of writing. No infringement of any rights is intended and no profit is made of it. All the heroes and situations that can be recognized as J.K. Rowling's or Notwolf's belong to their creators. The spelling and other mistakes are entirely mine. I hope you will enjoy the rest!_

* * *

Sisidy was pale which had to tell Lucius something - she was the most fearless elf ever born. He bended to her to hear the news.

'There is a carriage on the front lawn, Master Malfoy! And the guest wants Sisidy to put their horses in the stables!'

'So what is wrong with such request, Sisidy?' Lucius was appalled that any guest could be left in front of the manor waiting.

'But... but these horses breath fire! They will burn the stables down and fry the other horses!'

Lucius was trying to think who of his guests was trying to pull a prank on his house-elf. There were a few hot heads but they were all accounted for. Horses breathing fire, that sounded exotic! He swallowed hard. Few very exotic people had also shown up. On their background he would even shake Aline's sister hand. The floor groaned under his feet as the director of Beaubatons and Hagrid were dancing something resembling a pirate's jig. That was it - the fire-breathing horses had to belong to the third and only one missing at the moment director of magic school - Tanassov of Durmstrang had been invited as a peer of Severus and he had accepted the invitation. Sure, the reply was sent back with an enormous eagle who had coughed or more accurately vomited the tube with the RSVP card on Lucius's desk, then had grabbed his croissant, drank his tea and left through the window the creature had broken on the way in. Small wonder Tanassov's transport had scared Sisidy - Lucius still remembered that he himself had looked at the eagle's flight from the somewhat questionable safety of the space under his desk, wand in hand. Nobody could say that Malfoys were cheap hosts but he would have preferred to host that event on some other grounds. Too late for that, he had to rise up to the occasion. Lucius braced himself, put an anti-inflaming charm on his best set of gray silk robes and went downstairs.

His prediction was completely accurate - in front of the manor a classic gold quadriga was parked and its four horses were still breathing some tiny blue flames from their nostrils. That these were no ordinary horses one could guess by their size, almost half exceeding the dainty Arabians and taller even than the sturdy German loaders. Their tight reigns were in the right hand of a handsome young man, tall and dark-haired, dressed in what appeared a red military-style uniform with gold fastenings and black trousers. His left hand was tightly snuggling to his frame one very fairly clad young lady who chose the moment to turn and look down at Lucius. Luna Lovegood was the escort the director had chosen and Lucius belated remembered that Severus had mentioned something about her robbing him of the pleasure to see the Boy-Wonder shredded by Tanassov for destroying the precious goblin-locating artifact.

'Dr. Tanassov, Miss Lovegood, welcome to my home!'

'Thank you, Mr. Malfoy, did my horses scare your house-elf into palpitations or it just gave such impression? I will be glad to know where I may leave my transport.'

'Ahem, do they need any special treatment, sir, I am not quite sure my stable hands have any experience with that breed...'

The dark man laughed. 'No, not these ones, these are fed with ordinary coal and I am sure they will find the local one to their taste as well. However they are partial on non-leaded fuel as a drink, I hope it will not be a problem. They detest the lead, but as far as I am aware, the non-leaded brands are common in Britain. Otherwise they may show some bad manners, I am afraid. May be it is an idea for me to put them in the pen separately from the other guests' horses?'

"He is enjoying it!' Lucius thought. He was male more than enough to understand a show-off and it was undeniably one for the sake of impressing Luna. She was smiling at Tanassov as if the entire world had coalesced on him. None of them had stepped from the quardiga and Lucius thought fast. There was the old stable which had been deserted for ages, but it was a solid stone structure, very few beams supporting the roof only and some stone rings built in the walls. It had already suffered a major fire and was not restored after it, just cleaned from the debris. He offered it to Tanassov. One flip of his wrist was all it took for the horses to jump start into a gallop and in few seconds they stopped in front of the building. Lucius hastened to open the door, Tanassov took out his wand and the four horses were chained to four rings with a quick muttered incantation.

'Sisidy!' Malfoy summoned the elf and sent her to bring the coal, there was plenty in the cellar. He had to send her to apparetre with some human to bring the fuel though. Mateo suddenly came out of the dark and smiled politely. 'Anything I can do for you, Lucius?' His nephew breathed a sigh of relief - Mateo was god-sent. He introduced him to the couple and the sangrista politely inquired about the horses' preferences in octane figures. Luna laughed and Tanassov smiled appreciating the care. 'The higher the better, of course, but no airline's fuel, there are ingredients that these horse do not fare well with.'

'And no human flesh for them?' quietly asked Mateo. Lucius was startled, he thought that his guest would be mad at the suggestion and he had heard about the temper of Durmstrang's director. Instead the man only shook his head.

'Not these ones. We have several of the species that are still bred, but we try to keep their number at bare minimum. It is not easy - neither to breed nor to keep them, they have terrible temper as you know. But I am surprised that someone still will remember them, outside of the small circle of specialists who I would not dare to call veterinarians myself.' Tanassov's question hanged in the air.

'On the Iberian Peninsula there were a few until recently, you remember the horse on "Guernica", Pablo had depicted one of them there although few living souls know about it. Yeah, temperamental beasts, these horses...The Romans kept feeding them Christians, then the Moors kept them alive for they loved a fiery ride, then the Inquisition found some implementation and General Franco was rumored to be in awe with them...' Mateo and Tanassov looked at each other and a wave of understanding passed between them. Lucius shuddered. It was beyond the realm of magic, it involved Muggles and it was cruel even under Voldemort's own idea of cruelty. He tried to suppress the image and motioned to his guests to come in.


	2. Chapter 02 Dances and Revelations

_Autor's note: I would like to thank to both J.K. Rowling and Notwolf for the chance to play with their respective toys - and hope you will have fun doing the same. Please regard the following as a tribute to their talent and dedication to the creative miracles of writing. No infringement of any rights is intended and no profit is made of it. All the heroes and situations that can be recognized as J.K. Rowling's or Notwolf's belong to their creators. The spelling and other mistakes are entirely mine. I hope you will enjoy the rest!_

CHAPTER 2 Dances and Revelations

Nothing gave away that the couple had just crossed the entire continent diagonally - there was not a speck of dust on the crimson uniform, the sharp crease of Tanassov's pants could slice a fly into two and every strand of Luna's blond hair was lying perfectly. She was dressed in a strange white robe with heavily embroidered wide sleeves which seemed semi-translucent yet revealed nothing and her slim waist was circled by wide belt - one wide green line and few thin parallel ones the colors of the rainbow. The belt was fastened with enormous gold buckle in the form of two leaves on which a dance scene was depicted with unnerving accuracy. Luna also wore a matching headband from which small gold coins were hanging like glittering drops coming from the rainbow in her hair. She did not wear shoes.

The door to the ballroom opened ceremonially and the butler announced the prominent guest. Severus came forward to greet him and to introduce Aline, as came Bayly and Gloria. The ladies exchanged enthusiastic hugs and kisses, the men some firm handshakes. Then Tanassov smiled in his dark mustache.

'I would have had real trouble with selection of a wedding gift, but luckily Luna was on hand. It is my pleasure to present you with these, but please do not open them here.' He pulled out of his pocket two small pieces of home-made cloth, tightly wrapped and tied with strings made of the same linen. Bayly recognized the gifts with dismay. 'The self-serving tablecloth?'

'I am glad to see that Durmstrang lessons were not in vain, young man, you are right. These are self-serving tablecloths for two, wine included. I hope they will help you enjoy the privacy of your respective honeymoons without the presence of the elves and the necessity to wash dishes! I am afraid it may take some time fine tuning their coffee making skills to your taste as for now they are programmed only for Turkish coffee with three teaspoons of sugar per cup, I think my esteemed colleague Mr. Snape will find it a little bit exaggerating.'

Severus did not manage to hide the disgusted scowl at the mere notion of a coffee consisting half of sugar. Tanassov looked at him and smiled somewhat sadly. He pulled out a small ring from his pocket and bowed to Aline.

'Please permit me to present you with that ring as I am sure unfortunately you both will find it useful.' On the palm of his hand there was a simple band of silver in the middle of which stood a perfectly round drop of turquoise, sky-blue stone with no visible veins or imperfections.

Severus Snape stiffened. It was not customary a man to present someone else bride with a ring and he was sure Tanassov was well aware of the tradition. The ring did not look valuable - nothing remotely comparable to the fortune spent on the self-serving tablecloths. So why was his colleague so certain that they would find it useful, and why it would be "unfortunately"? He looked at the ring again. Silver - the material preferred by the alchemists to gold as it would react faster with a reagent, and turquoise - the stone that was rumored to change colour if its owner was getting ill or poisoned gradually. Aline was waiting obviously for his agreement, she knew his possessive streak and would not like to offend neither her fiancé nor the mighty director of Durmstrang. Severus gave her an almost imperceptible nod.

'It will be a pleasure for me to accept it!' Aline extended her right hand and Tanassov put the ring on her fourth finger. It fit perfectly. Aline shuddered at the touch - she had seen for a second the scene in Tanassov's mind - Luna in trance-like state, whispering some words which Aline could not understand as they were not in English, except her name and that of Severus, but Tanassov bended over his paramour seemed to understand and a grave concern washed over him. The whole scene was engulfed in some white vapour and the surrounding seemed like an ancient temple. Next she saw him sitting in a tiny shack with an old man who was cackling unpleasantly and holding in one hand a huge gold necklace while extending with the other the tiny ring to the Headmaster. A split second later the mind of Tanassov was a white block and he was smiling at Severus.

'It will be an interesting combination of a Legilimens and a clairvoyant in one family; I hope I will be retired by the time your children reach school age!' Aline blushed, everyone laughed at his comment and the spell was broken.

'Daddy!' Luna jumped into the arms of a candy floss haired man before dragging him to Tanassov.

'Dobar vecher!' politely intoned Luna's father extending his hand. The Headmaster took it and laughed, 'Dobar vecher, Mr. Lovegod!'

'Dad, where on Earth you learned so well how to say "good evening" in Bulgarian?' Even Luna was surprised.

'You may have guessed it by now, my dear, after you have met your two grandmas, right? It was in Bulgaria while I grew there...' Xeno was enjoying himself immensely. 'Yes, Dr. Tanassov, I am glad that Britain is returning what was misplaced for a while.'

The Headmaster looked at Luna and smiled his appreciation. 'Mr. Lovegod, I thought that Luna is a veela only on her mother's side, I see I have been mistaken. When two elderly veelas came to claim they were both her grandmothers, I was inclined to think that one of them was mistaken, but now I see that the one who was wrong was I.'

'You are right, young man, that you were wrong, Luna's mother was half veela and she came to Britain as a tiny baby, her father whisked her out of fear that her mother would not let him be part of her life. My father kept my birth mother prisoner by hiding her robes for several years and they were happy together - and that is how I learned the Bulgarian I have almost forgotten, my mom taught me. Then one day I threw a temper tantrum that changed all my life - I hit the wall with my wooden truck and a piece of plaster fell. My mom found a thread of her dress sticking from the hole, as I have inadvertently disclosed my father's secret place where he hid her attire. Mom touched the thread, her former strength returned to her and she left us to join her sisters in the veelas' community. Dad immediately left for Britain fearing that she might come after me, but she did not. He remarried and his second wife adopted me and loved me like her own son, but I always knew that one way or another I will have to go back - and if not me - my child. I wish I had the courage to tell Luna this story long ago, but I was afraid she would leave me in a search for her roots. I should have known better, Faith would always find a way...'

'Oh, Daddy, but you are my dad forever, we can go together there and you will meet so many interesting people, and there are so many magical creatures that do not exist in Britain, you will love it!'

'Luna's invitation is completely backed by me, Mr Lovegod, our door is always opened for you and I will send a better transport than a broom whenever you decide to take us upon that offer.' Tanassov bowed old-fashionably.

Narcissa was listening with interest to the conversation. Her own fair beauty was often compared to the one of veelas and she was thinking how many family secrets would lay almost on the surface for never to be revealed. But she was also a hostess that had to take care her guests were entertained at all time - and the ball was long, should not get boring as well.

'I have heard that the veelas are renowned dancers, Luna, would you like to join the dancing party? In fact, Madame Maxime and Hagrid had chosen to commemorate the day to our newlyweds by performing a jig, it had such an impact!' Narcissa was tempted to add "to the poor floors as well, luckily we thought of magical reinforcement before the ball!"

The glove was thrown and Tanassov picked it up immediately.

'I spoke to Olympe before we came and she tipped me off about her idea, so we have prepared something ethnic as well. Just as I expected that your stable hands were not accustomed to my horses, I expect that the local musicians may have some difficulty with producing the right tune, so I took care of it! We may need some space though!' He gave Narcissa an enigmatic smile. She paled and not because of her pregnancy. Her imagination was presenting her with a vision of a complete 150 members national orchestra composed of wild shepherds resembling her betrothed Ivan, with smelly woolen coats and pig-skin home-made shoes on the polished floor.

'I will see what I can do, will go find Lucius!'

'I will need no more that one small table, please!' The smile grew more enigmatic if that was possible. Sisidy immediately dragged a huge carved oak table that could withstand a tank propped on it if the heavy pedestal claw feet were any indication and put it in front of the orchestra. Tanassov sauntered to it, took out of his pocket three tiny musical instruments and put them on the sparkling white table cloth. A flick of his wand and they grew to full size drum, a flute and something that looked like a cross between a banjo and a violin as it had a bow on its side. The orchestra conductor finished the tune that was being played and turned to the Headmaster, half expecting that his people should be called to play with the equipment. Instead a second flip of the wand made the trio produce a lively melody of a strange rhythm which the trained ear recognized as a compound time. The guests quickly evacuated the dancing floor as nobody knew what the steps were.

Tanassov led Luna to the center of the vast lacquered space and waited for something. She pulled out of her sleeve a white handkerchief and waved it above her head. He put his hands on his waist, she bended her left hand behind her back and they stepped into rhythm with small intricate steps and jumps. Luna was swirling around him, waving her hankie as if in invitation, he was retreating and advancing towards her, as one point they danced shoulder to shoulder but never touched each other. The conductor was grateful that he was not called to perform that music - he doubted his flautist will be fast enough to move his fingers over the holes, much less his feet in coordinated fashion.

Suddenly the music changed, Tanassov took on one end of Luna's hankie while she held on it and they danced in a line for few minutes linked by the white piece of fabric, changing the steps several times in accordance to the music. Then the tempo started accelerating and Luna was dancing again around her partner while he was still holding his end of the handkerchief and she was still not touching him until the huge drum sounded alone and with a big boom the music ended. The spectators gasped - the couple was not even winded! Luna laughed when Tanassov kissed her hand and bowed in a typical English manner while smiling mischievously. They left the dance floor as if nothing had happened, on the road collecting the shrinking musical accompaniment from the table. The conductor swore that he heard the young lady saying "I hope they will play some polka or it will be too tame to dance around!" Too tame! Of course it would be too tame after what they have just performed! May be he could fish some foxtrot but he doubted there would be many to join them...


	3. Chapter 03 The Red and White Threads

_Autor's note: I would like to thank to both J.K. Rowling and Notwolf for the chance to play with their respective toys - and hope you will have fun doing the same. Please regard the following as a tribute to their talent and dedication to the creative miracles of writing. No infringement of any rights is intended and no profit is made of it. All the heroes and situations that can be recognized as J.K. Rowling's or Notwolf's belong to their creators. The spelling and other mistakes are entirely mine. I hope you will enjoy the rest!_

CHAPTER 3 The Red and White Threads

The ball was progressing steadily and the guests were having the time of their lives. The fine champagne and the hors d'oeuvres that the floating plates keep supplying were keeping the bodies in form while the lively music and even livelier conversations were keeping the spirits high. Some were enjoying it more as participants but the spectators were not at loss either. At the moment several of them were wishing they had bought Weasley's Extensible Ears, the modern, invisible version that one could stick directly into the ear and hear any peep and squeak from five yards at least. It would not be polite to try to get closer to the Durmstrang Headmaster who was having an animated cultural discussion with Mrs. Eleanor Conn. She had made the bad decision to start it with the condescending praise about his dance with Luna claiming that it resembled the dances of the Native savages of her country around their totems, and that she was surprised that such complicated movements could be transferred without the benefit of literacy. The savage from the East politely implied that the dance was known as early as the Orpheus time and had survived several sets of languages, all of them with their distinctive alphabet.

'Oh, but it is almost impossible for such people to learn English to a passable level!' Mrs. Conn exclaimed.

Tanassov shrugged his impressive shoulders: 'You know that better, I believe, as our discussion is presently held in English, but we may switch to Bulgarian any time you like to descend to my low level of literacy!'

It took Luna all her British stiff-upper-lip education not to laugh. Mrs. Conn did not want to acknowledge the punch though. She looked at her husband.

'Aloysius, may be we should invite Dr. Tanassov to our three hundred years old mansion to show him the advanced level of magic that had helped preserve so many valuable artifacts?'

'I doubt we will be able to impress him with that, my dear, probably his sitting room chairs are older than our home!' dryly replied Aline's father. His knowledge of European history was better than that of his spouse. 'Am I right, Dr. Tanassov?'

'Rumors are that Julius Cesar had used one of them, but I am most inclined to believe that they are a little bit more modern replica done by the Italian Cathars when they returned in search of their Bogomils' roots. However they are still comfortable although some mother-of-pearls elements are becoming loose and the house spirits are having bad time polishing them.'

Mrs. Conn was trying desperately to close her mouth at his casual name-dropping and was saved by the arrival of Sisidy who looked terrified again. She pointed to the balcony where an enormous eagle was perched on the carved marble balustrade. Few cracks were already visible on the fair pinkish Italian stone. Tanassov forgot his company immediately and ran to the bird. In its beak there were two pieces of woolen thread - a snow-white one entwined with a blood-red one.

Luna was following him closely. He turned to her and quickly said, 'I have to go, my dear, and I cannot take you where I am going! Will you wait for me here and take care that the horses are in top form? I need to be at my destination fast.'

She nodded and he kissed her briefly before mounting the eagle.

'Do you want to use the floo? It might be faster!' Lucius offered.

'Where I am going there is no floo, Mr. Malfoy, but thank you and please accept my deepest apologies that I have to leave so abruptly. I hope Luna will transfer my excuses to the newlyweds!' Tanassov bended over the eagle's neck and while the giant bird was taking off the man waved his wand to repair the damage the steel talons had caused to the stonework.

Bayly and Severus reached the balcony few seconds after and by that time the Durmstrang headmaster was not more than a speck in the sky.

'No floo? I did not think there were such remote places in Europe where there is no floo, how barbaric! And it is so impolite not to wait for you to say good-bye!' Mrs. Conn announced loudly. Bayly looked at the white and red threads in Luna's hand. He swallowed and turned to Aline's mother.

'He is not going anywhere in Europe as we know it, he is going to the Lower Earth, that was a thousand years old eagle that came to pick him up, as only they can descend and come up.'

'And the red and white threads mean it is a matter of life and death that he is summoned about!' added Victor Krum hugging closely Hermione. The memory of Bill and Fleur wedding came to their minds. He looked at his Bulgarian liaison and shook his head. 'I think the quadriga will hold the three of us and we better go back immediately. Luna, are you coming with us?'

'Of course! I did not know you can manage the fire horses!'

'Not as well as Dr. Tanassov, but will have to do! Bayly, you will tell Mr. Snape about our conversation tonight, please, he needs to know under the circumstances. Mr. Malfoy, please ask Sisidy to bring our brooms to the place where the horses are!'

Luna quickly kissed her father and left after the almost running Victor and Hermione. Aline's mother opened her mouth for a comment, but her son-in-law was quicker - he hexed her into silence, looked at Bayly and said without turning, 'Lucius, would you mind if we use a little bit less noisy place for few minutes. Shall I call also Olympe to join us, Bayly?'

'I think yes, sir!' Bayly gulped some air and looked at Gloria. 'I am sorry, it was not meant to be like that!'

Lucius cast a silencing charm around his small sitting room. Severus was perched on the windowsill, Olympe Maxime was occupying half the sofa while Hagrid had reasonably decided that the remaining arm-chairs' legs were too spindly for his weight and was sitting directly on the carpet. Minerva's lips were drawn into a thin line and Aline's brown eyes were full of concern. Bayly was facing the meeting.

'You all are well aware that Durmstrang's location is very close to a bottomless ravine, called the "Queens' Pit" and it is a heavily guarded place. The pit is hidden into a cave to prevent the passers-by from stumbling upon it, but it had been known for ages that it is one of the very few communication points with the Lower Earth. I don't think that any one of you had ever been there..." the almost-question hung in the air. Severus motioned for Bayly to continue.

"Well, a lot of magical creatures live there, some are ancient and for them the time flows differently, but most of the time the two Earths are on the same time frame. There are several ways in - one can stumble upon a well and fall, or try to get there by descending a rope or float down the river, but there is only one known way to get out - one has to convince a thousand years old eagle to take him up. Before the eagles reach their thousandth birthday they are not strong enough to do the journey, as it takes three days and nights of constant flying and one has to have enough food and water for the eagle for that time, if not the eagle will fell and they both will die. Such eagles hatch very rarely, nobody knows how often but their number is very limited. Recently someone had been trying to harm them - two almost died of eating poisoned lambs but one managed to fly to Durmstrang by itself and the other was brought by two of its peers and luckily Dr. Tanassov and the veelas managed to save them both.

However the Headmaster, I mean Dr. Tanassov, ' Bayly apologetically looked at Severus, 'thinks that someone is trying to close the exit from the Lower Earth in that way. The question is why, as if there are no eagles, the humans will not be able to go back to the Upper Earth, I mean, to our world and tell what is happening down there. Dr. Tanassov thinks that in view of recent events here in Britain it may be someone who had escaped from the crowd around Voldemort and is regrouping his or her forces.'

Bayly belatedly remembered that among the company around him there were two former Death Eaters, but Victor had insisted that he had to tell Snape about what was happening in Durmstrang. Half-telling was not an option.

'Dr. Tanassov is afraid that someone will try again to steal the Elder Wand from Professor Dumbledore's tomb and try to replicate it. He is convinced that the Elder Wand was made in Durmstrang or at least Grigorovich insisted that the wood has come from the elders around the Queens' Pit. But there are no Thestrals in Bulgaria, so the core was probably put here in Britain or was replaced by the Antioch Peverell when he came back home. His name means 'Stubborn", so may be he replaced another, more volatile core with Thestral's hair. But the Elder Wand has a weakness that had been known in the East for ages - it is a pretty "talkative" wand, all its owners loved to boast about it and it was their downfall. You know that elder is used to make also whistles, it is a wood that draws attention to itself. Dr. Tanassov thinks that if someone will replicate the Elder Wand on a big scale, he has to have a place where his army will be hiding to train - or the secret is bound to spill one way of another.'

Bayly paused. The disbelief on the faces of the audience was disheartening to say the least. Suddenly Hagrid banged his enormous fist on the floor. Lucius was sure he heard the floorboard crack. The giant looked at Bayly and said with concern, 'You remember when I almost drowned you in the lake the other day? I was not paying much attention as someone had been bothering the Testrals recently and they were upset all the morning.'

Severus groaned. Dumbledore's tomb was in the vicinity of Hogwarts. The Boy-Wonder, the last known owner of the Elder Wand was teaching his students and the danger from both the object of attention and its possessor was going to spill on the innocent kids once the school year started. Not that most of them would not deserve a slow and painful death, but his role as a Headmaster was to protect them and teach them how to protect themselves before they call upon themselves the slow and painful death. If Bayly was right - and the more Severus thought the more he was convinced that it was so - the danger was real and imminent. It was a twisted soul that had seen death that was lurking around his school. To see a Thestral one had to have witnessed death, it did not mean that the witness had not caused it. Tanassov had mentioned briefly that he would like to talk to him about an important topic, but did not want to spoil the festivity and had offered to come to Hogwarts at a time convenient for Severus. Damn, the dark side of the human nature had struck again before they could rearrange their forces, if the hasty departure of the Bulgarian Headmaster was any indication. Victor Krum had identified the message as a life or death matter, and Severus was not inclined to sit and wait to see which one would prevail. Alerting Ministry was a waste of breath - they were still jubilant over a victory that was not even theirs. He looked at Bayly.

'I know that Durmstrang has a floo, but it will be probably useless without Dr. Tanassov there. What else would you suggest as a way to know what is going on there?'


	4. Chapter 04 The Chalice and Its Contents

CHAPTER 4 – The Chalice and Its Contents

Before Bayly had any chance to answer, Narcissa came into the room smiling. She had missed the initial commotion caused by Tanassov's departure and was surprised to see the grim faces around.

'I am pretty sure our guests will understand the privacy earning on behalf of the newly weds, but Lucius, I think you have to pay them more attention!'

'I will, my dear, in few seconds. In fact, we may definitely postpone this conversation, I think, Bayly said it takes three days just to fly back from there, so why rush? Let us not spoil the evening with unnecessary concerns!'

Bayly gasped, but saw the warning stare that Severus projected. He knew that Narcissa was pregnant and it was really unnecessary to spread the bad news even before they were confirmed. The small group quietly left the sitting room and headed to the grand ballroom where the party was in full swing, hundreds of people enjoying themselves, dancing, drinking and sampling the ever changing exquisite treats.

Narcissa and Lucius together with Severus and Aline headed towards the group of youths that were taking a break from the dance as the mazurka was not something to entice them. Draco was making them double with laughter over some silly joke and did not see his approaching parents. Lucius surveyed the happy kids and was a little bit puzzled when Severus's daughter lifted her cup to toast his son.

'To your great talent as a stand-up comic actor, Draco!' she sipped a little of her drink.

'Jacintha, since when you find the cups in our household so repulsive that you have brought your own?' Lucius made it sound like a joke. "Granted, the one you are holding is beautiful, but I though ours are adequate!'

The young woman looked at him dumbfounded.

'I did not bring any cups. I just wished for something lighter than champagne and an older gentleman suggested I try this, but it was the last one on the serving plate so I took it. It is really delicious, some sort of a berry juice, like blackberry with something else, I think. We are waiting for some more to appear; hopefully the elves will bring it soon. May be the cup is from a forgotten set or something?' She looked at the exquisite chalice she was holding - gold with some glinting red stones on a thin stem ending with what remarkably resembled bird's claw.

The next second the goblet was in the hands of her father. He sniffed at its content, shoved it in Aline's hand and grabbed Jacinta's shoulders:

'How much you drank of it? Answer me!'

'May be half, I am not quite sure... What is wrong, Papa?' Jacintha did not manage to say another word as Severus had shoved in her mouth his omnipresent besoir. 'Swallow, please, swallow, fast! Aline, I need your help! Can you apparetre with her to your rooms in Hogwarts, I will go directly to my potion laboratory and will come to you there. Make her vomit if you can!'

Aline did not hesitate, she grabbed puzzled Jacintha and disappeared with a loud "pop". Severus looked at stricken Lucius and said, "You stay here and take care that no more of this is distributed. If it is - make the person vomit and drag them to Horwarts, the faster the better!'

'What is it?' Narcissa's eyes were huge.

'Elder juice laced with elder extract! Cyanide poison disguised as a sweet. I think we underestimated Tanassov!'

By the time Severus appeared with a new portion of a besoir, Jacintha had vomited all the contents of her stomach in a basin that Aline was set aside for further examination together with the gold chalice. She had also flushed Jasintha's insides with as much sugary solution as she could force in an attempt to compete with the disintegrating glycosides and was fished her own bottle of liver strengthening potion. While her prime concern was Jacintha, she was terrified by the prospect that soon other guests may show up after consuming the same drink. Poisoning even a small percentage of the people present there would be a disaster of enormous proportions, not to mention the impact on Lucius and Narcissa for not providing an adequate security.

Severus bended over his daughter who was sitting wrapped in a blanket on one of Aline's sitting room armchairs. Her pulse was quickened, but not dangerously so, may be the fright of the unknown was more to be blamed than the poison itself, they have caught it barely on time before her digestive system had started splitting the sugar from the cyanide. He looked into the dark eyes and concentrated on her latest memory. He felt a gradual increase in temperature around his child, then she asked her dancing partner to stop for a while as she felt thirsty and she went on a search for refreshment. An elderly man smiled at her and motioned at a silver serving platter where the damned chalice stood alone at one side, as if the last one of a lot.

'It is one of my favourite!' the lavishly clad man said.

'May be it is not fair for me to take this cup, I can wait for the elves to bring more!' Severus heard Jacintha chiming at the white haired guest.

'No, no, no, I am old and I am used to waiting, get it!' - the voice sounded vaguely familiar even to Jacintha and she squinted at the man who smiled benignly, reminding Severus of Dumbledore. He was sure he knew the man, it was a question of few more seconds to recognize him, but Jacintha looked at the goblet instead and tentatively took a sip. The taste was sugary, but not over, a light bitterness making it refreshing and it was cold, deliciously so in the heated room. Severus was agonizingly counting the sips going down the parched throat. Jacintha looked back at the man and thanked him. He cackled.

'I knew it was going to work!' then turned and left without another word. Then Severus recognized him, not even him, but the gait, he had been looking at it for ages and even Jacintha frowned. The posture and the steps, from the back the man could have been mistaken for her adoptive father. Yes, the man was a Mulciber, but not Jack. The old man walking away from the table was none other but Agelastus Stolo Mulciber. Jack's father.

Severus pulled out of Jacintha's memory and used his wand to store the episode in one of Aline's unbreakable little jars. He felt tired but it was not the tiredness of the body, it was a wave of premonition washing over him that Wizards' Britain was about to embark on a war again, that the Dark Mark would be flashing again and he was about to be summoned to the ranks. This time not by the megalomaniac turned good guy who was ready to sacrifice everything for the greater goods. It would be a battle for everything he held dear. His daughter, his wife, his friends, his bloody Hogwarts as well. He saw the irony - now he was about to protect the Boy-Wonder on his own accord as long as he lived his blasted life for him to die a natural death for the cursed Elder Wand's powers to die with him. It was going to be his last battle. He had no other options but to win. However some things needed to be sorted first.

'May be you can take Jacintha with you and go back to Salem for a while?' he tried to sound casual. Aline came to him and hugged her husband.

'Wherever you are, I, too, will follow! But I think Dad will take care of Jacintha there. She will see a new world, it will be good for her.'

'I am staying here!'

'No, you are not! You have no idea what we are facing so as Aline said, you are going to Salem with Mr. and Mrs. Conn as early as I can pack you! It was not a random attack tonight. Now, Aline, will you stay with her here? The door still has my blood wards, I think, just lock yourselves in until I am back. I need to get back to the ball although I am sure I am late for Agelastus. There is a lot of work to be done before dawn and all the people I need are there unfortunately. I wish you could come with me, but I don't want to apparetre Jacintha a second time so soon.'

'Go, we will manage!' Aline was calm and composed and reminded him of Minerva. He could send her as reinforcement, the Transfiguration teacher was one of the few who could scare a wizard into run to the nearest floo. Speaking of floo, why didn't he think of it? He was a Headmaster, damn it, the floo in the Headmaster's office was his!

'Change of plan, ladies, we are taking the floo ride!'

'No, not that disgusting tablets for better teeth again, all the Beaubatons was crazy about them at one point!' Jacintha groaned at the memory of the small white pills that tasted like chalk.

'This poison was not supposed to modify your hearing abilities! I said "FLOO" and "RIDE", two separate words! Dress up, we are going back!'


	5. Chapter 05 Snapshots

Chapter 5 - Snapshots

As the drama had unfolded quickly and almost silently, few people understood what happened. Lucius hurried to the kitchen to verify that there is no storage of any elderberry wine or syrup and Sisidy indignantly assured him that such a stuff had never entered the manor's kitchen. Narcissa went to verify the tables for gold goblets with bird's claws pedestals, while Draco and the company were stunned into silence.

'May be she is allergic to that juice and she did not know?' eventually ventured Pansy.

'Let us find Theo, he might know...' suggested Daphne. They found him in deep conversation with his boss. Mr. Tollman was indignant that an elderly wizard had annihilated the camera of his photographer instead of just requesting his photo not to be taken before disappearing in rage. However the luck was with the Daily Prophet's team, as few seconds before the incident Theo had begged to get a photo of Jacintha with the much better professional camera instead of his portable one and it was his one that had suffered, while all the important photos for the centerfold had been saved. Mr. Tollman was promising a premium big enough to cover the loss. No, Theo had no idea if Jacintha was allergic to anything, up to that date they had not found something that did not go well with her, but there was always a first.

The arrival of one sullen Severus Snape flanked by his pale wife and even paler daughter put a damper on their speculations.

'Draco, please summon your father, the Professors Hagrid, McGonagall, Potter, Miss Granger had left, right, Madame Maxime, I think I have seen Minister Shacklebolt flowing his golden robes somewhere, get also Bayly please, I want everyone in the small dining room upstairs now. Oh, and would you please send Sisidy with a pensive there as well!'

Theo jumped to Jacintha's side. 'Are you OK? Draco mentioned some allergy...'

'It was not exactly allergy, ' she started but met her father's withering look. Theo hugged her.

'Few minutes ago all was well, you looked fabulous, I stole a photo of you with a goblet in hand talking to some weirdo who after that blasted my camera!'

That got the attention of Snape immediately. 'So the weirdo blasted your camera and the famous photo is lost?'

'No, he blasted my camera that Richard the photo reporter was holding as I took his for a better shot!'

'How fast you can print that photo?'

'Oh, the office camera is the latest model, I can, well, Richard can print a test shot immediately!'

'Do it now! I need it!'

'But I planned to print it big and frame it!'

Snape contemplated for a moment hexing him but it would upset Jacintha and he decided to spare Theo for the moment, but boy, the lad was dense! The rest of the young friends had better memory of what it is to meet the Headmaster in a rotten mood and had retreated already. Snape got the print-out from the very puzzled Richard and did a circle around the ballroom before he went upstairs. He was not much of a social person but he had always had a knack of sensing the oddity in thoughts and gestures. He had been too happy tonight and it had clouded his judgment, he had let his guard down and a poisonous snake had managed to slide close. The room was full of revellers, all the prominent families, was heroes, everyone important was present and accounted for. Snape felt how his blood was turning cold. If Mulciber was not afraid to come amidst the biggest assembly of wizards in Britain and poison his daughter, it was sign that he was feeling strong. Severus spotted Jack and Glenna in a corner and went to them.

'No time to update you personally, but it is personal, so come with me!'

'We are not going to dance pas-de-quatre, are we?'

'No, there will be more of us, I said come!'

'Could this day go any more southwards?' was the first thought that crossed Severus's mind when almost at the exit of the ballroom he was met by the happily grinning Arthur and Molly Weasley who were exchanging news with Sirius. No, to be correct, Arthur and Molly were updating Sirius about the events since he had died. It was too late for invisibility charm even if one existed. Arthur opened his arms as if to embrace him.

'Severus, I was just telling Padfoot about the importance of your sacrifice for the Final Battle!'

'I wish it was a Final one!' grumbled Severus. Arthur completely missed the point, same as Sirius, but Molly was better tuned and quick at that.

'What do you mean by you "wish"?' she was blocking his path.

'Nothing special. My daughter was nearly poisoned tonight, the Durmstrang headmaster had to leave in a hurry and we have Agelastus Mulciber at large!' He heard Glenna's horrified gasp and Jack's incredulity which materialised in a strained "What?" but did not turn. Molly was holding his hand in a steel grip. He knew why Arthur had married her - she had him clutched in her other hand and was dragging them to the door already.

'It is not the place to talk, Severus, you know this home better, where are we heading?!'

The mood in the dining room was completely different from the one downstairs. Almost all places around the table were already occupied but the one for the host was empty. Despite the gravity of the situation, Severus could not suppress a sneer - judging by the fact that the chair to the left of it was occupied by Horace Slughorn and the one to the right by Minerva whose wand was in her fingers, the Slug had tried to get central stage, but she had kicked him out of it. He was probably on her list of invitations, same as Augusta Longbottom who for once had abandoned her towering hat in exchange for a tablet, truth to be known also covered with stuffed flora and fauna but at least not obscuring the passage. It was a draw whether she or the Boy-Wonder had dragged Neville in, as he was sitting between them. The Headmaster was surprised how much the guy had grown during the summer. Neville was quietly discussing something with Aline and Jacintha across the table and Severus could swear that it was the elderberry properties. In the absence of Pomona who was lollygagging somewhere in South America until the beginning of the school year, the young Longbottom was a welcome addition. He could pull a mandragora without being bitten, no, he could convince a mandragora to come out of its pot, he had it in him. But if the root would not cooperate he had the way to deal with the situation as well. Severus had gladly forgiven him years of pathetic incidents at the potion lab for him slaying Nagini. It may be a miracle if Longbottom would be ever able to brew his tea from a Muggle tea pouch, but there were qualities compensating it.

It was probably Olympe who had magically expended two chairs to conform with the sizes of her and Hagrid's derrieres. They have effectively sandwiched Shacklebolt between them and he was looking like a glittering Snitch between two Quaffles. The similarity was enhanced by the scarlet robes that Olympe wore and the matching scarlet bow the size of a table runner that Hagrid had used as tie. Even Lucius did not object to the last batch following Severus, but conjured some more chairs and expanded the table a little to accommodate the five extra people. He had sent Narcissa to patrol and was contemplating sending Draco to help her when Severus tipped the contents of the small jar in the pensieve and called for everyone's attention.

Sissidy had brought the newest one, dreadfully expensive toy that projected the memory rather then requiring the viewer to immerse himself so the small gathering focused on the three-dimensional scene unfolding before their eyes. Even Jacintha was watching with interest herself in half-size format opposite to the old man in beautifully embroidered dark green velvet robes whose full head of white hair was tamed with a gold band encrusted with gleaming moonstones and what looked like garnets, dark red stones in which wicked flames danced. He did look regal in a way, not more than fifty and in splendid physical form for someone who had spent years rotting in Azkaban. Of course to Jacintha everyone over forty would look ancient and she had taken his phrase of him being old at a face value. The memory ended and Severus produced the goblet that was featured in it. The thick gold cup was decorated with the same glittering red stones exquisitely fashioned to resemble red apples on tree branches with carved gold leaves. The dark red, almost black looking liquid that had been in it was now stored in a small jar which Severus put also on the table.

'It is not a coincidence! Tonight Dr. Tanassov, my colleague from Durmstrang, who is also a prominent medic in his country, was summoned to the Lower Earth on a life and death matter. Before that he expressed concern over events happening in Bulgaria and in Europe in general and wanted we to discuss it at length but did not want to spoil our wedding celebration and we agreed to postpone it. I can see now that we were both wrong to think that we have time.'

Severus briefly retold the information that Victor Krum has asked to be distributed before his hasty departure with Luna and Hermione.

'I was not inclined to think that there is a lot of reason in what Bayly said at that time, but Hagrid confirmed that the Thestrals were bothered. At the same time we were discussing the information Jacintha was nearly killed as you have seen. The poison Mulciber used is an elderberry wine mixed with elderberry juice and brew. The elderberry wine itself may be completely harmless but it was used as a cover for the cyanide that was going to poison her a little bit later. It gave him time to escape and he was sure that I would get the message from her, although I think he hoped by that time it would be too late to save my daughter. I feel damn lucky that Narcissa interrupted our first meeting.'

Slughorn sighed. 'What is the plan, Headmaster?' Severus was somewhat surprised that the question was aimed at him and not at Shacklebolt, he was in charge of the Ministry and a former Auror himself. But Slughorn was an old battle horse and was not going to waste his breath on bureaucrats.


	6. Chapter 06 Why Me?

CHAPTER 6 – Why Me?

"We need to protect firs the most vulnerable points. The school years is about to start and Hogwarts will not be safe place for kids with the Elder Wand still in Albus's tomb. The second target is you, Mr. Potter.'

The Boy-Wonder almost jumped out of his skin to be singled out. 'Why me?'

Merlin, why could not Lily and James fashion a little bit more intelligent kid or his brain was constantly sipping through this scar on his forehead without anyone noticing?

'Because you are still the true master of the Elder Wand and until you are alive its strength is alive. My utmost fear is that you are going to be captured and held barely alive as long as it is necessary to reproduce the wand on mass scale - and you will be killed then. So I will be much obliged if Minister Shacklebolt provides adequate security for you...'

'Of course! I see the gravity of the situation. I think we would arrange for Harry to stay at the Ministry until Mulciber is captured and tried!' the minister had finally found his voice.

'And you consider your bloody ministry a safe place?' the sneer in Lucius's voice was not disguised by courtesy.

'Oh, what, Malfoy manor is better?'

'At least the goblins failed to infiltrate here!'

Shacklebolt drew his wand, but Hagrid plucked it with one swift movement before Lucius could produce his own.

'You listen when the Headmaster Snape talks, am I clear?' the giant bended towards Shacklebolt. 'We are talking danger here, not your ministerial games!'

'Give me back my wand!' the minister was green.

'After we finish here, stay put now!' Hagrid stood up and put it on the top circle of the glittering chandelier. "I will get it for you then! Headmaster!'

'It is time to dispatch the teachers back to Hogwarts to strengthen the protective charms and clean up the ground from anything suspicious. We have to enlist the help of the house elves and the centaurs for that as well. Bayly, I will count on you for daily updates on the situation in Durmstrang - and if there are news that come at any time of the day or night that you may deem even slightly suspicious or important - I want to be informed immediately. It is good that the schools in France and Bulgaria are going to start their school year later as per their standard calendar, it will give them more time to regroup.'

Severus stopped to take a breath and saw the look at the faces of Minerva, Augusta and Horace. He did not like it.

'You see, Headmaster, we will do all that. But I think that you are underestimating Mulciber. He does act like that, of course. But it is not the most dangerous part, if I am right!'

'I think you are, Horace, no matter how much I hate to agree with you!' seconded Augusta.

'It will be worse than the Final Battle, Severus, much worse!' said Minerva looking a hundred years older than when he had entered the room.

'Why?'

'Horace!' There was a warning in Minerva's voice but her mind was deliberately blank under Severus's subtle try.

'Jack, what you will hear may surprise you.' The old man was giving him a chance to exit before he started. Jack however refused to bulge. What for - one way or another he was going to face his sire, for the moment the most secure place was where he was, anyway. He was not quite sure he wanted to hear it all, but if it made him better prepared for the face-to-face meeting, why not.

'Severus, you are young and there is a lot that you don't know about the not so distant history of Hogwarts. Agelastus was two years Tom senior, also a Slytherin, and a member of the Slug club as well. Among these presents one more of the Slugs is here tonight and she would tell you that Gell-O as he was universally known at that time was one of the most clever, most cunning and most twisted minds that had even entered Hogwarts. Couple that with being a pureblood of exceptional personal beauty and decent fortune - he was irresistible. He loved it. He loved turning tables during an intellectual debate. He loved throwing his teachers off-base with a new spell or me with an obscure potion - and he was good at both. At that time it was fashionable to spend the summer abroad despite the troubles in the Muggle world and he traveled extensively, to Greece, to Italy, spent a semester at Beaubatons and another one at Durmstrang as an exchange student. There he learned about the Elder Wand and tipped one very impressionable young boy about it. It was his form of a sadism - he would tease the counterpart with the unreachable for him but seemingly available to Gell-O. Tom swallowed the bait and started digging himself. You know the rest.

Agelastus loved playing cat and mouse in more sense than one, right, Minerva? Don't be fooled, he is a powerful animagus and if you find a mouse in your kitchen drawer think twice whether to give it cheese. May bite your hand together with the treat.

Almost at the same time when he befriended Tom and toyed with him, he got involved with the most brilliant witch of his generation. They would have made a perfect couple as she was witty enough to block his sadistic streak and clever enough to almost see who he actually was. It may have turned into a fairytale if not for his parents. Mulciber Sr. was not less proud with his ancestry than Marvolo Gaunt, may be even more so, as he claimed that the family tree was started by none other than Mars the god of war and the finest smith in human history. If Albus had held onto the classic program which he abandoned in exchange for the idiocy called Divination, you might have learned that Mulciber is the other name of Mars, so there may be some grain of truth in the entire pedigree story. There was no way his only son and heir would marry a half-blood.'

'And one Minerva McGonagall may have been all that Horace just said but was born to a powerful yet ancient Scottish wizard who died soon after her birth and his anonymous young blond wife who refused to reveal her blood status and was thus disqualified as a pureblood.' The contempt was evident on the withered face of the Transfiguration professor. The people around the table - with the exception of Horace and Augusta - were so used to her image of a strict schoolmarm that they never had pondered over the fact that she should have been young at one point. Even as an old woman she retained her regal beauty - she must have been stunning as a young woman. The Scottish blood gave a credible explanation to her stubborn character and rare dueling qualities, and may be even to the red streaks in her hair.

'Horace, let me take from here. Agelastus suddenly found the tables turned - I was out of his reach but within anybody else one. To say that he loathed the situation would be an understatement. He channeled his considerable energy into other field. Unfortunately one of his younger friends got interested in me, although I neither encouraged it nor even knew about it at the start.' Minerva stopped to conjure a glass of water and in the tiny pause Severus was able to guess the name of that fellow student. Merlin, he hated it before the old witch was halfway through her glass. He hated not even the facts, although, Merlin's beard, they were nasty enough. He hated the story unfolding - another ruthless, clever and twisted mind had played with a kid in love and used that love for reaching his own aims. Severus felt how his fingers were digging into the polished wood. The fading green eyes of the wise witch held his ones captive.

'Yes, Severus, you are right! The other boy was Tom. Handsome, clever, homeless and penniless Tom, who was gently led by his elder friend to believe that he hated Muggle-borns and half-bloods as a precaution to not getting involved with me. That was the start of his downfall as the poisonous seeds of the idea were planted in the very well prepared soil of his unhappy childhood and liberally sprayed with his own sadistic streak that had led him to befriend Agelastus in first place. I am afraid if it shatters your image of your father, Jack, but it is also a form of "the greater goods" that Albus was preparing for the entire wizarding community in his youth. Simply it was one at a time being destroyed rather than in droves.'

'That is what we are afraid of, Severus!' Augusta had already pulled from her handbag the mouse trap that she had carried seemingly forever. 'There had never been a fanged gerbil but one very persistent mouse is always on my mind. It does not only eat the cheese in the cupboard, it eats the very roots of the society that we know and treasure. Poor little mousie, nobody pays attention to few droppings here and there until it is too late, remember that rat Pettigrew. Gell-O the bloody bastard robbed Minerva of her life and made the life of many others a misery as well. Albus was too much concentrated on Tom to see the initial force behind him. After that it was Tom's doing, all right, he was of the type that if fallen for a girl or an idea it was until Death do them part, and we all know how it ended for the idea, but none of you knows about the mysterious deaths of any male who dared to get close to Minnie, one way or another they all died, I am not counting Albus, we all know why. When we accounted for the bodies after the Battle of Hogwarts we did not find Gell-O and I got suspicious then and there but you know, the damage was great and there were more urgent matters to attend. Now I regret it. Fear not, according to your daughter's memory, he had not changed and still knows all that is there to be known about the current events. People tend to talk when they are upset, he was used to say, but they talk more and remember less when they are happy. Does that make you think of something?'

Simultaneously the blood retreated from three faces - Lucius, Aline and Severus stared at each other in horror. They remembered the blacksmith that had performed the rites at the quick ceremony. In the dim light of his shop he had smiled knowingly at the four of them and the hand that had given the marriage certificate to Severus was adorned with a pale moonstone ring. They have left hastily and refused his offer of a glass of wine. Well the glass had come to them. The blacksmith had been actually dressed in green instead of black but as it was a popular place to get married they have assumed that his "blacksmith" status was mainly ceremonial for the sake of the tradition. Fools, utter fools, they have looked and not seen the obvious!

Suddenly it struck Severus. Minerva being Griffindor to the bones was wearing Slytherin-green robe. He quickly searched his memory, yes, it was either black or green, but never her house scarlet. Sweet Merlin, was it possible that she was still harbouring any feelings for Jack's father? Before the Headmaster managed to ponder over the unsettling question, Hagrid slapped his forehead with a force that would have flattened a goat to the thickness of a post stamp.

'Mice! Thestrals are startled by mice!'

The room felt very quiet.


	7. Chapter 07 Breakfast at Durmstrang

CHAPTER 7 - Breakfast at Durmstrang

After few initial tricks the fire horses sensed that it may not have been Tanassov to tighten the reigns but Victor was no slack either and the rest of the trip passed quick for Hermione and Luna who were hugged tightly behind the Quiddich champion. They have linked their hands behind each other's waists and their free hands firmly gripped the side handles of the quadriga trying to give Victor as much space to maneuver and as much stability on the open-back vehicle designed for one rider. Both young women breathed a sigh of relief when the wheels touched the ground in the inner yard of Durmstrang.

'Dobro utro, tate!' Victor greeted his father as it was already four in the morning – thus for the veterinarian that he was – an equivalent of a not so early morning. Victor did not seem surprised to see his sire, Hermione thought, hugging the elder Krum after he transferred the reigns to one of his colleagues. By that time she was used to the cordial greeting. Victor's father hugged Luna as well.

'I was sure you both were coming back despite some busybody's badmouthing you, my dear party girls. How was that part of the ball that you managed to attend?'

'Decent almost, had to dance for my food!' giggled Luna. "Where is Dimitar?'

'Down there. But I doubt he will stay long, should be intercepted halfway or even closer to us.'

'So it was not life and death down under?'

'It is and very much so but since I got the message that the big eagle was sent for Dimitar, there was another messenger with a detailed description of the injury and that they are sending the patient our way as the magic is not working properly down there. As they are using the same chute the two rescue parties are bound to meet and he will come with them. Now go and get dressed, we need every soul available.'

Luna pulled Hermiona's hand.

'Let's go, I have spare jeans upstairs!'

Few minutes later the two young women were back in the yard clad identically in jeans and T-shirts, on top of which they wore one of Tanassov's favourite lumberjack checkered plaid shirts. Krum the Elder managed to hide his smile in his thick black mustache – the Headmaster was in for a surprise when he would be back. He led the girls to the smaller courtyard next to the kitchen.

Despite the early hour it was noisy there – a flock of sheep was huddling at the tiny pen and two men with huge carvers were methodically diminishing their numbers over the huge slab of granite that served as a primitive altar cum butcher table of sort. Hermione was close to fainting – the stench of wet sheep skin, fresh blood and sweat around was overwhelming. Once the sheep were slaughtered, they were hung from huge hooks over enormous cauldrons where the blood was collected. Then the hook with the still hot carcass was pushed to the next "work station" where it was skinned. The following step was disemboweling and the entrails were collected as well while the carcass was pushed into the cool kitchen storage room. Time was evidently of essence as nobody was paying attention to minor details like the blood overflowing the little gauge that expected to drain the liquids from the stone slab into a cauldron already overflowing or an occasional sheep's head falling out of the bin that was there to collect them.

Luna asked whether she should join the group to disembowel the carcasses as they seemed to be the bottleneck of the production line. The elder Krum nodded gratefully. He took one look at the pale Hermione and decided that her talents lay elsewhere.

'The old guest eagle station needs cleaning up and expanding. How about if I bring you there to help the talasams who are sprucing it, my dear?'

It sounded like a definite improvement over the talasam that was salting and defibrinating the blood in the nearest cauldron with its long spindly hands. The fibrin was sticking to them like nightmarish red woolen threads and he was rolling it in balls and throwing some of them at his fellow who was neatly sorting sheep livers, kidneys and balls in smaller cauldrons. Moreover, Luna waved her own carver at her and smiled encouragingly. No, talasams with brooms were better prospect.

Well, there were not that much brooms to start with. Durmstrang had a standard owlery just like Hogwarts and once you have seen one owlery, you have seen them all, smell and droppings included. However the Dark Arts required birds a little bit stronger and fiercer as delivery service sometimes and the messengers eagles were there for that purpose. The eagles' station occupied the one below the last floors of the most Eastern tower of the castle, as the eagles were daytime birds of prey. Each one had its own eyrie with a mark stating its name and restrictions of use. The one that had delivered the message to Lucius was Tanassov's personal one as a Headmaster and could be use with his explicit permission only. The eyries were the size of a car and kept suspiciously clean. Hermione was curious whether the eagles were trained to bring their cleared bones to the pile in the corner or it was the talasams that did it in their absence.

However Victor's father went to the stairs at the center and continued upwards. The top floor had huge windows with no window frames or glass there, it looked more like a covered terrace if not for the impressive thickness of its walls. Few talasams were gathering the cobwebs and were swiping the floor made of stone tiles with their fellow talasams as mops. Hermione suppressed a chuckle as they did resemble mops with their round hairy body/heads. The place looked like it had not been overly occupied during the years and in dire need of getting out the dust and the debris blown by the elements. Hermione pulled out her wand and warned the little creatures to get away. They quickly rolled out to the small closed compartment next to the stairs which was probably built as broom closet anyway. A swish of her wand lifted the thick layer of fine sand mixed with small branches and leaves and funneled it to the dumpster visible nearby. That left exposed a human skeleton chained to an iron ring. Hermione gasped and turned to Victor's father.

'We shall inform the authorities! Even if this person was not killed directly, he died of starvation or the elements here!'

'They know… And it is how it should have been… Leave it as it is, Hermione, it had not been here long enough yet.' Mr. Krum was unnaturally grim and very much like his son at the moment.

'But, but you know who he is then!' the young witch was flabbergasted.

'Yes. This is my father! I will send the talassams to bring the new eyries!' He turned and went down the stairs.

Hermione was trying to keep calm. Did Victor know about the resting place of his grandfather? Has she inadvertently stumbled upon a family secret? There was the noise of tens of tiny legs on the stone steps and a small army of talasams emerged carrying huge branches of laurel tree. They deftly made of them seven eyries where a minivan could easily land and started down the stairs to bring some small branches to pad the eagles' beds. None of them paid any attention to the skeleton.

Another set of steps was heard and Victor emerged with a huge bunch of sweet smelling grasses. He dumped them in one of the eyries and went to hug Hermione. She opened her mouth but managed only a sigh before he kissed her. Then he shooed the cackling talasams away and promised to break the back of any one of them caught snooping. The little creatures knew firsthand that they can be used instead of Quaffles for Quidditch training, so scurried down the stairs with impressive agility for their spindly legs. Victor picked two long laurel branches and made a wreath which he put on Hermione's head.

'If I have done anything good in my life you are my biggest reward! So you should wear a laurel wreath like the ancient heroines.'

Hermione felt the tears stinging her eyes. She took the wreath from her hair and put it on Victor's head.

'You have not been attentive at your history lessons. It is the heroes who wear laurel wreaths, not the heroines.'

'Why not try then to simply lie on our laurels so to speak?' Victor pulled her on the eyrie where he had dumped the sweet grasses. 'These are from our farm land.'

He rolled so Hermione was on top of him and snuggled her closer. She brushed at the smudge of blood on his cheek that was already half dry and felt spinning out of control with desire for the first time in her life. The young witch tried to find some point of grounding.

'Vic, what about your grandfather?'

'He is at the other wall, should not get in the way unless we do something really extreme!'

Hermione lost it. He was a savage and he loved her and she loved him. The witch bended to kiss him and the first ray of sun missed her and ricocheted from the steel ring on the other wall.


	8. Chapter 08 Personally Invited

_Alex the Kritikanzer's notes: __It will be my pleasure to know what you like and what you don't of what you have read up to now – if you will be so kind to share you thoughts with me. Whatever you have recognized as J.K. Rowling's or Notwolf's is very much theirs so I take neither credit nor blame for it. Have a wonderful day!_

**CHAPTER 8 – Personally Invited**

'There will be no Dark Mark this time to give us a warning. The task will be harder as we will have not only to identify the poisonous man, but also to try to prevent him from spreading his venom. Am I right?' Severus Snape was looking at his old Potion teacher.

'Mostly yes. But you should take care of the fear first.'

'What fear?'

'The one that he will inflict. The paralyzing fear of losing the most precious thing that you have, most precious memory, most prized possession. He understands that part of the wizard psychology very well and believe it or not – he has the knack of finding it. Agelastus will try to play on it and given his years of practice – will succeed into paralyzing his victim into either submission or inability to act. Tom did not get this, he was so afraid to die as life was the only treasure he possessed, the only thing that was entirely his to be taken from him. No fame, no glory, no earthy possessions, not even the love of good woman, just one bare life. That fear of losing it was fanned like wild fire by Agelastus who fed him all the crap that ruling the world will make him famous and will bring him closer to the objects which will conquer Death. Tom could not fathom that it is not the amount of time one lives but what he chooses to do with this time, the meaning he stuffs it with. Even Ignotius Peverell had chosen to welcome Death by putting aside his Invisibility Cloak as he had understood that Death is not an enemy but a friend to lead us to the next great adventure. Some of us will be mature enough when Death comes to pick us up, some will not and will fight this making the start of the adventure a chore and our last moments a suffering. Tom did not get it, but Agelastus did – the meaning of life is living it to the fullest, enjoying every second of it like it is the last one, enjoying what you are rich with – friends, lovers, wine, grand piano at the end. None of the physical possessions will follow us but the adventures of the mind will as one of the people around this table knows fairly well, don't you, Harry?'

The Boy-Wonder touched his scar. 'Why it always has to be me?'

'By mistake, in fact. It was the fear for Lilly that pushed Severus to ask she to be saved and put the entire circus in motion. Then Albus misread the prophecy again and made your life a living hell. The one with the power to vanquish Tom was not you, Harry.'

'You want to say that my parents were killed and all my life was turned upside down because a stupid prophecy was misunderstood?'

'Yes.'

'But the prophecy says that Voldemort will mark the chosen one!' Harry's hand flew to his forehead.

'No Harry, the prophecy does not say that he will scar you, he did that to too many people to count. The prophecy says that he "_will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not"_. No matter how hard you fought and how brave you personally are, it was not you.

You see, the circle around Tom begged to join him, they did whatever was possible to be accepted, they crawled, tortured each other, killed. There was only one person ever he personally INVITED to join him at the pinnacle of his power.'

The small gathering was looking completely stunned. Then the incredulous voice of Augusta sounded in awe.

'Neville!'

The first to recover was Minerva. She turned to her former student. 'I will repeat myself - it's high time your grandmother learned to be proud of the grandson she's got, rather than the one she thinks she ought to have, although she had improved since the final battle. But Horace, why didn't you invite the chosen one into your Slug Club then since you knew who he was?'

'Exactly because of this reason, Minerva! Why should I tip Tom that I consider Neville important when he had been snubbed at every turn? But boy was I tempted, I even succumbed to the temptation when I invited him for the first meeting on the train when I returned. Albus the old fox brought Harry to my den and thought that he would tempt me with him. He chose the wrong bait, I may say.'

Neville was scarlet. He turned to Harry and said, 'It was you who defeated Voldemort, I may have helped you somewhat, but you did the main work.'

'No, ' said Harry tiredly. 'you finished him when you stood up to him then at the grounds, Professor Slughorn is right. The main weapon they wielded was fear And you were not afraid to stand up to him. He acknowledged it that you were the one who would fight when the battle is lost – and you did. And you won. You killed Nagini, so it was a question of time someone to actually kill Riddle as all his Horcruxes were gone. It could have been Professor McGonagall, or Professor Slughorn, or the Minister, or anyone. But you were the one who showed the people that fear could be overcome when they were all afraid. You broke his spell Neville.'

'Harry, it does not matter any more. He is dead. The dead are not enemies.'

'The dead are not, but some of them have the bad habit to return, as we have seen tonight.' There were icy notes in Severus's voice. 'Professor Slughorn did not tell us this charming story only to entertain us. I believe he has a plan and it is better than mine.'

'I think I know what may work with him. What would you say Gell-O would fear most, Minerva?'

The smile that illuminated Minerva's face chilled the blood. For a fleeting moment Lucius understood why Lord Voldemort had fallen in love with her and why Bella had never had a fleeting chance in hell with him. He imagined this smile on the face of the beauty she had been and sucked his breath. Mulciber Sr. had just lost his game, he thought. It was just a question of time.

'You said he loved turning tables, Horace. That is what he fears most and… ' she reached for the mouse trap. 'It is time to play cat and mouse again!' Her green eyes locked the black orbs of her former student, present Headmaster and fellow warrior. 'There is never a Final Battle in general Severus, but every one of us has their Final ones. This is mine and I would appreciate your help in the form of some roach repellent to start with.' She stood up and looked at the people gathered around the table. 'I would appreciate your confidential treatment of the information that Horace divulged for the obvious reasons and for one more. It is the truth but not the entire one and may give some people wrong ideas.' Minerva smiled enigmatically. The old witch lifted her left hand to adjust her pointed black hat and the sleeve of her beautiful green robe slipped a little to reveal a glimpse of glowing bluish moonstones bracelet. The next second the sleeve was back and the Headmaster was not even sure if it was his heated imagination that had put the jewel on her wrist.

The meeting broke in clusters. Olympe apologized to Lucius and her black lacquered landau arrived directly at the room's balcony. Hagrid kissed her hand and waved after her with his checkered handkerchief the size of a tablecloth. He wiped his eyes and looked at Severus.

'I better go and put some mouse traps around the Thestrals! Sirius will give me a ride on his bike…'

'Hagrid, may be you will need some Aurors around just not to be alone.'

'Headmaster who will be interested in me of all people…'

'I am. You either find yourself a companion or I will.'

'Messing other people's lives, Snivelius?'

'Sirius, I don't want to hear that one more time and I AM serious!' Molly was livid. 'You are going with Hagrid and will behave or I have to send Charley to babysit you there! We will take care of Harry in the meantime.'

'I can take care of myself, Mrs. Weazley Thanks for the offer but I need some time to be alone and think it over.'

'This was not an offer Harry!' Arthur looked at him with compassion. 'No matter that Minerva thinks it is her battle, we are at war again and the orders of the superiors are to be followed. Albus intended Severus to take over from him, so be it. The Order of Phoenix has a new mission if you had not grasped it by now. Your father may have been a Marauder but he was a soldier when needed and followed up the advices. Should he and Sirius had followed Albus' advice about the Fidelius Charm, none of it would have taken place. So you are coming with us. Unless you prefer to stay at Malfoy Manor which is a secure place if not for some wine.'

'Mr. Potter you are welcome to remain here and you may have all the privacy you may wish for.'

'Thank you Mr. Malfoy but I think I will follow the advice of Mr. Weazley and go with him.'

'Wise decision Potter!' Snape was grateful to Arthur for taking care of the Boy-Wonder.

'Not like yours to blabber to Riddle what you have overheard, is it? Now do you feel that my mom had paid for that idiotic love potion well enough or I have still a tab to pick up?' Harry did not care. He did not want to hang on his The-Boy-Who-Lived status. He wanted to get Hermione's time turner and get back, stuff that bloody prophecy into Sybil Trelauney's throat and have mom, dad and a childhood. But time did not run like that. It was too late and just like in Forbidden Forest he had to let go. But he still wanted to hurt Snape for all the years that he had lost.

Severus was drained. The adrenaline rush around Jacintha's attempted murder, the revelations he had heard and the burden of the prospective battle were taking their toll. The Boy-Wonder may have had a point there – if he had kept his mouth shut, Harry would have had more or less normal childhood. He understood the point of Horace – it was fear that had driven him to beg – both Riddle and Dumbledore to spare the enchanted girl that she had been. One had been driven by desperation, the other by indifference and Severus was not sure who was driven by what at that point. He had served both only to find that they did not care about him one drop. Oh, they both had been brilliant minds and both had lost their hearts early and let fears shape their lives. And made his life a living hell. Severus rubbed his pale face. He did not need any more of it.

'Harry!' Neville was standing between him and Snape blocking Harry's line of vision. 'It seems to me that this Agelastus guy is already winning.'

'How come? He failed to poison Jacintha, right?'

'No, he did not manage to poison her, but I see he is effectively poisoning you. We cannot win if we stay at each other's throats, Harry. You cannot let the past ruin the future – not only your future. If Riddle had been a megalomaniac think what a monster his mentor would be. Back to back we may still have a chance. Otherwise…'


	9. Chapter 09 Dance a Deux

_Alex the Kritikanzer's notes: __It will be my pleasure to know what you like and what you don't of what you have read up to now – if you will be so kind to share you thoughts with me. Whatever you have recognized as J.'s or Notwolf's is very much theirs so I take neither credit nor blame for it. Have a wonderful day!_

CHAPTER 9 - Dance a Deux

Abby was dancing with Neville an animated quickstep when the conductor stopped his orchestra and Narcissa stepped on the small podium.

'I hope that everyone had a wonderful time up to now and will continue after this tiny pause. As you are well aware, our two brides have something to throw at the unmarried ladies around. Dear girls, you have a double chance today as there are two bouquets to be caught. Please gentlemen, give some space to all unmarried witches of age to come closer.'

Aline and Gloria came next to her with smaller versions of their bridal bouquets in hand. Some fifty young ladies gathered around, their faces flushed with anticipation. The brides turned with their backs and at Narcissa's sign tossed the posies high in the air. The crowd watched with wide opened eyes how Gloria's bluebells flew almost to the ceiling and got trapped in the crystal chandelier while Aline's pale roses landed squarely in her sister's outstretched hands. Before any of the witches managed to withdraw their wands and claim the remaining bouquet, Sisidy was already extracting it from the glittering fixture.

The wave of laughter could have shattered the windows if they were not already opened. Sisidy blinked and went to give the bouquet to Aline. The witch fought for control but bended to the little creature.

'Thank you, but no thank you Sisidy! This is yours; you caught it fair and square!'

A voice from the onlookers boomed, 'I will pay for the photo of her in a wedding pillow! I may donate some Alanson laces if needed!'

Sisidy blinked at Narcissa. 'What?'

'Sisidy, the person who catches the bride's bouquet will marry within a year of the date, that is an old saying!'

'I have to marry?'

"You are not obliged, but you may if you like!"

Sisidy blinked again and disapparetred. One onlooker in particular paid attention to the fact that she had taken the posies with her and went on a search for the other catcher. Darn, he better hurry up, the ball was winding down.

He caught with her while she was shrinking the bouquet on a side table behind a huge bush of azaleas. He looked at the precision of her wand movement, the utter concentration that she was putting in the simple spell to be executed accurately and allowed himself to dream that all this attention could be funneled at him. Abby opened a small glass locket and put the flowers which were no bigger than a lily-of-the-valley drop in it, then looked at the arrangement dreamily.

'Nice catch, any chance you were the seeker in your high school Quidditch team?'

'Never had the chance, I am mostly home-schooled. Have we been introduced?'

'Do we need names?'

Abby looked at the dark locks and the rakish smile and decided to throw caution to the four winds.

'Names are for sissies who do not know who they are, aren't they?'

'No, names are the swaddling cloths that we are wrapped in at birth and they may be nice and they may stifle, but names are also cloaks that we chose to put on our shoulders.'

'The one that I was swaddled in is Conn but that is not what you think.'

'Mine is Black and is exactly what you think.'

'But there should be some light in it, isn't it?'

'Oh, yes, Sirius – if you are interested in my personal stellar one, and Orion after my shining father.'

The black-haired man bowed in front of Abby.

'Abigail, and it is exactly what it was supposed to mean!'

'Oh, I am sure she is somewhere close Aloysius, of course she will do it, what is the question!' the voice of the elder Mrs. Conn was coming closer.

'Any chance in your stellar pocket you are hiding an invisibility charm?' Abby's eyes were full of terror.

'I have the entire cloak – my godson lent it to me for the night. Come closer!' The silvery cloth was in his hand already. He hugged her and barely managed to cover them both before the coiffed head of Mrs. Conn poked behind the azalea.

'There is no one here, but I feel she is close! Let's go see where the girl is trying to hide!' The steps were going away and in the privacy of the cloak Abby lifted her hands and kissed her savior.


	10. Chapter 10 The Winged Horses

_Alex the Kritikanzer's notes: __It will be my pleasure to know what you like and what you don't of what you have read up to now – if you will be so kind to share you thoughts with me. Whatever you have recognized as J.'s or Notwolf's is very much theirs so I take neither credit nor blame for it. Have a wonderful day!_

_Chapter 9 came out somewhat small. That is why I am posting chapter 10 as a bonus reading._

_

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CHAPTER 10 – The Winged Horses

The noise of a wooden clapper reached even the top floor of the Eastern Tower. Victor kissed the young witch and murmured, 'Breakfast time!'

'Already?'

'Time is flying by when you are in my hands! It will be a long day, we better get some food first. Come!'

Hermione honestly did not want to. August in Bulgaria was a hot month and even in the drafty tower at six in the morning it was nice. She was snuggled in Victor's arms, cushioned in a bunch of herbs and thoroughly loved. Who needed food? Yet Victor was right, they were expected at the common table and she needed some grooming after the wild morning start. If Vic's grandpa skeleton had retained his vision he would be blushing scarlet, she giggled. Victor jumped and pulled her to him.

'We may go flying in the afternoon if Dad does not need much help. What do you say?'

'Up to here?'

'A woman after my heart! Who said you Brits are reserved?"

* * *

The people around the table were discussing something in rapid Bulgarian which was interspersed with what even Hermione recognized as bad words. Victor frowned.

'Guys, where is Dad?'

'At the remote stables. Someone had broken the wards there.'

'Is there anything remaining from his body to identify who he was?'

'That is the problem! There is no body and Blacky is missing.'

'No way!'

'That is what your dad said before he departed. But the mares are mad and that means it had been around the time Dr. Tanassov has left for Britain.'

'Who is there?'

'A whole lot of people but it does not seem to help much. We just dispatched Stephan to bring some medical supplies; I told you the mares had gone mad.'

'You are going to drug the horses?" Hermione got that much of the conversation.

'I wish it was that easy. These are not the ordinary horses.'

Luna stood up from the table. While the conversation had been going on she had made a decent pile of sandwiches and was wrapping them with the help of a talassam who was sporting a ribbon on a tuft of its hairs. The source of the ribbon was easily identified – Luna's left running shoe was laced with sisal while the right one still had a pink shoelace.

'Pinky, I will need a big basket!' she patted the furry ball's bony hand.

'Yes, Miss Luna!' beamed the little monster and scurried to the kitchen. Few seconds late it arrived with a huge basket made of willow branches and stored the sandwiches in it, as well as the bunch of long grasses.

'Now you hop in and I will need let's say, eleven more of you, and off we go!'

'Where are you going Luna? It is not a picnic time!' Hermione was worried.

'No but the men at the stables need food and help! Are you coming?'

It was a rhetoric question – Victor was already approaching with three brooms. Along with him came a bunch of talassams each with its own ribbon of strange color.

'Why do they have that stuff in their hair?'

'Color coding! I was tired of trying to guess who is who – and they like it. But I ran out of hair bands and am up to shoelaces now…' Luna was in her element.

* * *

The remote stables were grim looking place despite the evident efforts to keep them up. There were looking more like a prison but the one where the authorities were trying to prevent the inmates to get in and not out. The double fence of huge boulders toppled with barbed wire was decorated every few meters with all sorts of dire warning signs, the mildest of which was "Private Property. Trespassers enter at their own risk and peril!" Few human skulls were perched on stakes as illustration although they looked ancient. The stables were encompassing the entire small plateau which laid high above the meadow and the only visible path up was the river made of boulders that was probably a remnant of a glacier. There was a small burnt grass patch at one side where the trio landed and Victor quickly set an anti-inflaming charm on them before they ran half bended behind a small stone wall to the group shielded in what looked remarkably like Hagrid's hut to Hermione. The solid metal door opened and they were whisked in before a jet of flame blasted on it.

'It is bad as you see. You should not have come, but we can use you to levitate Martin to Durmstrang infirmary. He cannot apparetre with these burns; chances are that some of his skin may not follow him. The veelas are all at the celebration, this year it is in Greece, so we have to cope somehow until tomorrow. That is it, if these monsters don't eat each other!' The elder Krum was covered with sooth.

Luna was bended over the basket and quietly whispering something to the talassams. The little balls jumped out, grabbed a sandwich each and brought them to the men standing around. In the meantime Luna was sitting on the floor covered with half burned straw and making a thin rope from the grass she had brought. She was singing something inaudible and was so concentrated that did not even notice Victor's shadow on her lap.

'It is time to go back Luna!'

'I wish you a nice trip and if you catch a snorkak on the road, keep it for me, the local ones are beautiful!' She did not stop braiding the grass.

'But you are coming with us!'

'I think between you and Hermione you can manage a levitation! Why do you need me?'

'It is dangerous here!'

Luna looked around puzzled.

'The horses!' Victor was getting impatient. They had to get away fast while the beasts were at the far end of the plateau. They could turn any minute!

'What about the horses? The mares just need milking, that is it!'

'And who is going to milk a mare like that without being turned into a torch? Be reasonable, even Dad cannot do that and he had been around them all his life!"

'Victor! I think you have to hurry, Martin is thirsty and it is not good to keep him here, it may become hot!'

Luna did not pay any attention to her own warning but looked at Hermione and smiled. 'No flying solo, remember!'

One thing the Griffindor had learned from her long friendship with the eccentric Ravenclaw was that there is no force on Earth to get her out of such a mood. She pulled Victor's hand and urged, "Luna is right, rescue mission first!"

'We will have to fly directly from the door. If you sit with me, I will hold you and you will levitate him, is that OK?'

Hermione was still not at ease with flying but with Victor behind her she could concentrate of the patient. She gripped firmly her wand and mounted the broom. The witch gently lifted the injured man and kept him close behind them. The elder Krum blasted the door open and they speeded up and directly over the fence as low as they dared fearing that the mares would see the movement and follow. Victor speeded with all his might.

* * *

The mares did see the group departing and their whinnying echoed from the rocks surrounding the plateau. Luna ran out, holding a bunch of grass in one hand and her thin green rope.

'They will burn her crisp and then Tanassov will do the same to us!' jumped a burly man and ran for the door after her.

'No! Hold on!' Victor's father blocked his way. "Look! How did I not thought about it?!"

The mares were already spreading their humongous wings and were waiting for the Blacky's mom to give the signal. They were not concerned about the advantage the humans had on that filthy bunch of wood – it would be a blink to catch up with them. The only creature that could outrun them was their joint son, the little black colt that had vanished. The twelve mares had given birth at the same time, but eleven colts were killed for the remaining one to have the milk of all the dozen and be faster than any living soul. It had recently turned a year old but was still suckling and their milk was dripping as he had vanished the previous evening in the hour between the light and the dark, the hour when everything turned gray. The mares have sensed a human presence but by the time they reached Blackie's stall he had vanished. The colt had not left in the air – they made sure that nothing left by air around them. It had not left on the land as they have searched for a trace but there was none. It was like the colt had vanished into the ground as its stall was the round one in the middle and its twelve nursing mothers were stationed around. It was time to go on a search.

The blonde girl in front of them waved a bunch of veelas' grass. It was a rare treat as it did not grow around. There were not many people who knew where to find it and even fewer could obtain it without incurring the wrath of the chief veelas. The mares sniffed in appreciation but waited for their leader to do the first move. The huge white horse was twice as tall as Luna and the breath coming from her nostrils was hot. The beast bended closer but Luna withdrew the grass dangling her thin green rope. The horse snorted but carefully enough for the flame not to touch the girl.

'I was wrong – the mares are going to stomp her first and then burn her to crisp!' the man was whispering through his cracking lips. Even the elder Krum was having doubts in his decision not to drag the blond Brit back to safety. Tanassov had been clear from the first day of her arrival: 'If a single hair fells from her head, there will be a hell to pay and the prankster better knows it in advance!' No one wanted to have to explain to the Headmaster how it had come to Luna teasing the flesh-eating mares.

The white mare bended again and the girl pulled the sweet smelling grass away and showed the rope that was forming a loose loop. The mare breathed another cloud of white hot flame but it did not touch the girl again. Luna let the bunch fell at her feet. The horse bended its huge head and let the witch put the grass lasso around its neck, then bended to pick up some grass. Luna patted the side of its mighty neck and whispered something. The mare bended lower and the witch mounted. Then the mare passed aside and every horse picked up a few stalks of veelas' grass each. They whinnied as if discussing something then Luna patted the mare and the beast spread its wings again. They soared and made a circle around the plateau high in the air while the mares stood still. The white horse landed and all the mares went back to their circular stone stable docile as lambs. Luna whistled and her small team of color-coded talassams used the nearest window to join her. She dismounted but did not take the lasso from the mare's neck. Luna bended and picked a talassam. She brought the ball to the first mare and let it sniff. Then the horse let the furry creature latch and it started suckling. The procedure was repeated with all the other ten mares.

Luna conjured a small cauldron and started milking the huge white horse herself. When the cauldron was full to the brim the witch whistled again. The talassams scurried again to the basket they have come in. The young woman plucked few hairs from the mane of her ride and patted it like a friendly dog. She turned and came to the stone hut. The men were absolutely speechless; they looked at her as if afraid that she would turn into a non-human form before their very eyes. Instead the young woman went to the basket and softly spoke to the little creatures. Then she stood up and looked at Victor's father.

'Mr. Krum, I believe the mares will be fine for the next few days, Pinky will supervise the milking, then the veelas will come and take care. But we need to figure who needed a horse of that particular variety and how the filthy creature got Blacky. Its mom is very upset; she is ready to eat the intruder alive!'

Mr. Krum nodded. He had not a single shred of doubt about it.


	11. Chapter 11 Chocolates with Liquor

_Alex the Kritikanzer's notes: __It will be my pleasure to know what you like and what you don't of what you have read up to now – if you will be so kind to share you thoughts with me. Whatever you have recognized as J.K. Rowling's or Notwolf's is very much theirs so I take neither credit nor blame for it. Have a wonderful day!_

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CHAPTER 11 – The Chocolates with Liquor

'Grandma, you should have seen Sisidy extracting Gloria's bouquet from the chandelier!' Jacintha doubled with laughter imitating the little elf. Jack and Glenna wiped their eyes – the scene was hilarious and in Jacintha's interpretation it was even more so. The elder Mrs. Mulciber laughed with them. They have come few minutes before and she had come down to greet them despite the early hour. Oh, they looked so splendid – the party robes, the atmosphere of the ball still clinging on them like morning dew. She had been feeling weak for the last few days and had decided to miss the ball and have few cups of tea instead but had insisted that she was well enough to be left alone.

'So sorry you were not with us! Lucius and Narcissa are always hearty hosts!' Glenna looked with concern at the old woman's face. She looked more drawn than when they had left for the ball.

'Oh, they are so sweet! They sent a box of chocolates to cheer me up, it was nice of them to remember that I like liquored ones. I have to send Malfoy a card tomorrow, they were delicious, some new flavor I can't remember I tried before, but really good!'

Jacintha was the first to pale. 'Grandma, was it tasting like blackberry but a little bitter?'

'Exactly, my dear, you tried them there as well? I am afraid they were so tasty I finished the entire box!''

'Daddy, call Papa! Mom, do we have the besoir at home? Grandma, fast, to the bathroom!'

Jacintha almost carried the old woman to the nearest bathroom, Jack jumped in the floo to Hogwarts and Glenna run to the medicine potions cabinet. It was charmed not to open with a spell she could not break. She started panicking. Jacintha was trying everything her father had taught her about vomiting and it was not working as if the blasted chocolate had stuck like a toffee on a heated balcony. She screamed to her brothers for sugary water as Aline had given to her and the boys run to the kitchen. The young woman was feeling how her grandma was getting weaker by a minute. There was a deafening noise of falling pans and the two lads came with the required solution.

'Grandma, drink! What took you three years?' the young woman scowled at her brothers.

'There were mouse droppings all over the sugar, we needed to find a clean pack and broke two sugar bowls, but this is from the metal container Mom keeps with the big crystals.'

* * *

The floo sparked green and Jack jumped first followed by Severus and Aline.

'Papa, I can't make Grandma vomit! This is sugar with water!'

Severus knelled next to his daughter and took Mrs. Mulciber's hand. Her pulse was already weakening. He was a potion master, not God. 'Glenna, take the boys to the kitchen, please!'

Jack sank to his knees. 'It was Father, Mom, he sent you the chocolates, not Lucius. He tried to poison Jacintha but Severus caught it on time.'

The old witch did her best to smile. 'I heard about the dropping in the sugar, Jack! I did the math already. At least he chose something not so painful for me. You are the best son possible Jack, and I am proud of what you did in your life. Don't let him take this from you! Fight him, you have what to fight for and he does not, he has only things to fight against! Give my love to Glenna!'

Mrs. Mulciber gathered all her will and sat straighter. She took off her wedding band and her engagement ring and put them in Severus' hand. 'Give these to Minerva McGonagall. She will know what to do for both of us.'

Jack grasped her hand "Mom!'

'You have to fight Jack, back to back with Minerva if needed, but promise me you will fight! I love you Jack! Fight!'

* * *

'It was the tea that gave you the final minute Jack! Agelastus had calculated the dose to kill her before you come back, but she had been drinking her sweet tea and it delayed the poison's action!' Severus was speaking softly over the head of Jacintha who had found solace in his embrace. Aline had joined Glenna in the kitchen clearing the mess and insulating the possible holes. Jack had slumped on one of the comfortable armchairs and was looking at the far wall where the portraits of his ancestors were tastefully arranged. The ancient Mulcibers were heatedly discussing the abominable act prompted by the portrait of Jack's great-grand father whose usual place was in the entrance hall. Jack wished they would shut up but his mom would be appalled if he said so aloud. He was ruminating the last request she had saddled him with. He to battle back to back with the old schoolmarm? What did his mom know about the former paramour of his blasted father? How much she knew of what Horace had told them tonight? She had been much younger than her husband and may have missed the school gossips, but surely someone had tipped her about the affair. And why she had asked Severus to give her wedding rings to Minerva when they rightfully belonged to Glenna who she loved?

'That is a good question!' said his friend. Jack jumped. He would never get used to the Legilimens sitting across from him. One could not even mourn in privacy! The next moment he rebuked himself. Severus was a friend and was not intruding but trying to help. The man was dragged from his own first wedding night to be with him in the hour of grief, for Merlin's sake!

The Headmaster withdrew the two rings from his pocket and looked at them. He had never paid much attention to baubles until the damned chalice and the garnets there. As a potion master he knew their properties or rather knew the properties of the elements that made them, but the craftsmanship did not interest him.

'Jack, do you know the history of this ring?'

Before his friend managed answer a stern looking lady from the grand portrait over the sofa scoffed.

'Of course he knows. But I wish to know where my filthy son lost the matching bracelet that was making the pair what it is. Oh, I wish I have never given birth to the bloody monster. It was not enough that he killed his father, not enough that he poisoned me, but I have to steam in my own juices that he gave to his wife only my ring but not the bracelet. He claimed that it was lost forever. He should not be named Stolo but Perdito!'

'Grandma!' Jack was looking at the beautiful old woman with his mouth gapping.

'What? Was it not obvious that we were murdered? Or you also bought the tale that Grandpa had a heart attack and I succumbed to my grief? I should have spoken earlier, but the family pride was keeping my mouth locked! Bullshit! Your father is about to erase the entire Mulciber's line and you are sitting around gapping!'

Jack made a conscious effort to close his mouth. He had never heard any of the ladies in his family swear as long as he lived!

'Lady Mulciber, I am not quite sure but I think that I saw your bracelet tonight…' Severus was looking at the ring.

'Did it look like that?' The woman on the portrait lifted her heavy brocade sleeve to reveal the tiny corner that the painter had depicted.

Severus' throat went dry. He had not had his imagination playing tricks – that was the same bracelet that glinted on the wrist of one Minerva MacGonagall. He nodded.

'I hope you will do your best to reunite the jewels then. They are beautiful as they are, but together they give a formidable force to the woman who wears them. You know that moonstones reunite the lovers who had quarreled. But it is also the stone that shows the person as who he actually is, sharpens the intuition. The woman who wears them will be cursed with too much knowledge, but she will know her man like the inside of her handbag.'


	12. Chapter 12 Wrong Timing

_Alex the Kritikanzer's notes: __It will be my pleasure to know what you like and what you don't of what you have read up to now – if you will be so kind to share you thoughts with me. Whatever you have recognized as J.K. Rowling's or Notwolf's is very much theirs so I take neither credit nor blame for it. Have a wonderful day!_

_For all of you who celebrate St. Valentine's day - best wishes! Please accept this in lieu of a card with heats and cupids - well, cupids are on tomorrow's installment:)_

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CHAPTER 12 – Wrong Timing

Damn his unworthy son could have danced with his stupid whore a little bit more at the ball this show-off Lucius had organized. Agelastus had carefully calculated what he had laced his chocolates with; his wife should have been cold by now and he would have been able to get the ring back. She had sworn on their wedding that she would not take it as long as she lived, long or short, and it had been longer than he had expected. Who would have thought that the blasted Abraxus Malfoy would prove such a healer and pull her from almost behind the Veil when she was giving birth to their son! Agelastus had hesitated about killing her as once upon a time that weirdo Sybil had told him that the woman he would be chained to for life would kill him within the five minutes after she would take the Mulciber ring from her finger. He laughed bitterly – he had feared a stupid bumbling idiot who routinely professed death and misfortune in general. It had been an hour since the shriek of his imbecile son had proclaimed that the deed was done and Agelastus had never felt better in his life. He was free to do whatever he wanted; he just needed to wait a little bit for the half-blood filth to get away. Bloody traitor, that was what he was, not a war hero! But Eileen's bastard was good, rather good for Agelastus's liking. His wards over the old Albus tomb had proven a challenge. Not that it would be for long, there were always other ways, as Gellert liked saying. The night was almost over; it was time for a short rest instead of waiting. He signaled the tall man and they left as quiet as they had come.

Hermione had helped as much as she could at the kitchen where some of the sheep was boiled, some roasted and some left as is in anticipation of the rescue party. The burned guy was wrapped in salves and two dark-haired girls were staying watch at his bed singing quiet incantations to sooth the pain. Victor was busy with putting some dark spells that Hermione had not studied at Hogwarts but seemed common knowledge among the grim group of people occupying the castle. More people came in, some former and some present students, armed with not only wands as her Muggle background told her.

Luna came with the elder Krum and his team and joined the group sprucing the dormitories that had not been occupied since the end of May when the school year had finished. She had special relationship with the talassams that were the equivalents of the elves in Hogwarts. Xeno had flooed for her a mighty parcel with hair bands with all kind of plastic decorations hanging from them and the talassams were getting their rewards. The Ravenclaw was ecstatic – it was much easier to remember that the Pears were glazing the windows, the Apples were washing the linen and the Bananas were airing the beds while the Grapes were swiping the floors. The blond witch had mastered a lot of Bulgarian as she was not shy to ask something to be repeated to her and using any mean to convey her message – she would draw pictures, use sign language, play sketches and if nothing worked – which was rare – get a dictionary from her pocket. But most of the time a bob of her radish earrings was enough to get what she wanted. The fact that she was the official passion of Tanassov as well as a granddaughter of two of the most powerful veelas increased the understanding but she had earned the trust of the local people on her own accord long before the account about the flesh-eating horses was spread.

Hermione was surprised by something else – there were practically no women around. Apart from the two Healers and few girls in the kitchen as well as the chatelaine there were only men around. Durmstrang was a co-ed so the girls were bound to be around together with the boys. Her previous visit was also when the school was on vacation so one could not get a proper idea. She mentioned it to Victor's father and he smiled, 'War is no women's job, my dear! I would feel better if you are in a safe place, but the safe places are getting scarce. However Durmstrang is good for now and may be we will need more place later. I hope Dimitar is overreacting and Minister is right, but up to now it had never been that way. If the worse comes to the worse we at least will be able to shelter our people here for quite an extensive period. The hardest part is to get to here alive, the rest is easier. We will go home for supper but before that I think we all will go and get a nap. The night will be long and we need rest. Have you seen Luna and her fruit salad?'

The Headmaster waited for Jack and Glenna to arrive before he got the nerve to present Minerva with the Mulciber's rings. His friend was tied with arranging the funeral for the following day and the viewing for the early evening, then Glenna had freaked at the idea of leaving the kids alone and they flooed them to Malfoys before putting the wards on the house. They had flooed to the Headmaster's office and the four of them went to see the old teacher. She was dressed in her customary tartan robe and looked refreshed. However if the amount of mouse traps stacked all over her classroom was any indication, she had been transfiguring every object of suitable size into it. That gave the Headmaster an idea what may have been in the sac that Hagrid had been hauling to the stables few minutes ago.

'I am sorry about your mom Jack! She was a fine woman and dearly loved you!' the teacher surprised them again. 'Bad news travel fast. So what else you want to tell me?'

'Before she died, Mom said that I have to fight even back to back with you!' Jack blurted. Minerva had that effect on him to make him feel like a schoolboy, but she did not mean it personally, even Severus had admitted cringing from time to time. 'And she left you her wedding band and engagement ring. Mom said you would know what to do for both of you!'

Severus produced the items and put them on the desk before her. The old woman looked at the glinting bluish stone and smiled thinly.

'We are missing only the two other bands that make the set complete, but they will be coming our way, rest assured! I hope if all goes as I have planned you to have them back before the moon grows full Jack, as they belong to you. But I will need them first.'

'The other TWO bands?' politely inquired Severus coking his head. 'I was told only about a bracelet.'

'You saw the bracelet tonight Severus. But you saw the other two as well, just think a little bit!' the green eyes were full of dancing flames.

But of course! The headband on Agelastus's head in Jacintha's memory and the ring on the hand that gave him the wedding license! The same rare stones, clear water with bluish tint, the expensive Burmese version which was hard to come by. The set was probably ancient, both stones being favoured in Rome in particular, may be there was a grain of chance that Vulcan the Mulciber had made them. This was ancient and ancient amulets made him nervous. It reminded him of the blasted Hallows that had screwed Dumbledore's head and that of the love of his life, Gellert Grindelwald. He shook his head.

'There is not long to wait Severus. August 23rd is tomorrow. How is the repellent brewing?'

'It is almost ready. Do you want it in a vapor or as a liquid?'

'I would go for both as a precaution. And I hope you are brewing the antidote just in case something does not go as planned.'

'And the planned is…'

'It is too early to tell, but keep your social calendar free for the evening, will you please do that for me?'


	13. Chapter 13 Marry me!

_Alex the Kritikanzer's notes: __It will be my pleasure to know what you like and what you don't of what you have read up to now – if you will be so kind to share you thoughts with me. Whatever you have recognized as J.K. Rowling's or Notwolf's is very much theirs so I take neither credit nor blame for it. Have a wonderful day!_

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Chapter 13 - Marry me!

As Binka was backpacking somewhere in France at the moment, Hermione was given her room to get some sleep in the afternoon. Luna had followed the house talassam to the barn as a resting place claiming that it was a perfect accommodation with only a sheet to prevent the straw getting into her hair. The big house was fast asleep except Victor's grandmother who had closeted herself in the kitchen and was cooking dinner. She was singing something over the flower that she sifted trice, then sent the talassam somewhere with nine vials. But it did not disturb the quiet and peace around – the woman was tiny and if not for her weathered face one could mistake her for Binka's classmate. Her light eyes, so much like her daughter were still sharp and her hands surprisingly strong. She had spent almost all her adult life a widower, or more precise in the gray zone between being married and being widowed as her husband had disappeared even before their only daughter had been born. Some claimed that he had run away, but most were convinced he had been murdered by Grindelwald and his cronies. She had come to Bulgaria from the snowy mountains of Montenegro and had followed the ancient tradition of women there – she did not remarry even after finding what had happened with her husband. But she never forgot and never forgave the man who had been instrumental for her beloved Bojan to be killed. She had her revenge executed and was arguing with the mighty Headmaster of Durmstrang over some point but she was determined to win. The old woman saw the headband with dangling skulls that the talassam was decorated with and smiled. Luna should not be far and it was a pleasure having her around. She could use some help as well.

* * *

Hagrid had never seen a horse like that – the giant loved mighty animals and this one was exactly his size. Although its black coat was shining under the growing moon, the mane reaching almost to the knees was not combed and it was a shame to neglect such finery. No matter who the owner was, he should be taking better care. Hagrid had put some more mouse traps around the Thestrals. Minerva had supplied hundreds of them, thanks Merlin! The Game Keeper was going to feed the Hypogriphs and was carrying few lamb carcasses as a special treat, as well as bunch of grass for their nests, but stopped to admire the horse. He could not resist, pulled from his pocket the huge comb that he used to groom Thestrals and cautiously approached the black stallion. The beast did not show any fear at the giant's presence and sniffed around the hand that gently started combing its mane. It sensed the friendly approach so different from the people who were riding it. The careful strokes were putting the matted hairs back in order. His moms would be glad to see him so nice! Pity he did not know how to get back to them. He had been whisked through a hole in the ground so fast he could not even whinny for help. Blacky was an intelligent horse; he knew enough of the humans to know that one way or another they always returned to where they had been. It was a question of time… But he was ravenous and the riders were not worthy eating, they were so poisonous! He had to get a bite and soon!

The giant knew that the horse was hungry and was reluctant to wait for the owner to find out what the beast would prefer – there was enough oaths stored and even the semi-dry grass for the Hypogriphs was delicious. He bended and picked a bunch of it. The horse whistled in distaste and small flames seemed to come out of its nostrils. Hagrid jumped back. He was no stranger to dragons breathing flames but this was a horse! The animal sniffed around him then blew a jet of white fire at the lamb carcasses, bended and chewed on the first roasted one. Hagrid's eyes filled with awe and his heart with terror at the sight. The only sound was the bones crunching between the beast's teeth. The horse finished the carcasses and looked up. Hagrid got the message just in time to run and lock himself in his hut. Few lamb carcasses were a snack and the black horse needed a meal. The giant was not game to be used as one.

* * *

He had to come back. There were too many traps and it took time to get rid of them. As he was proceeding cautiously he was re-transfiguring them back to the object they have been originally. Who would think that the oaf that Hagrid was would get so freaked about a tiny mouse that was bothering his animals. He had probably asked someone to transfigure what-not to help him. The problem was that some were real mousetraps and he had to be very cautious on what was what to avoid them. But it looked like the mousetraps were transfigured by different people, an army of them, as different charms were applied and it slowed him down. Probably that filth Filtch had a closet that he had filled for ages with mousetraps and then unloaded them to Hagrid. Damn, he had to be at the viewing at the time there would be most people to slip unnoticed. He waved a hand at the man working on the same task on the other side of the stables and they quietly left

* * *

Sirius was sitting across Abbie in a busy Muggle tavern next to huge film studio. He had found the place by accident but was now fond of it. One could easily slip in dressed in whatever weird costume he was at the moment and nobody would lift a brow. Sure, why should one do such thing when two extraterrestrials were slinging their coke through straws to keep their head gear form distorting while talking to a rabbit and a man in a hat, who was trying to take off the head of enormous cat the zipper of which was stuck. At the next table several bar dancers were discussing Medieval English poetry with a man in a toga whose artificial laurels wreath was slipping precariously when he was animatedly disagreeing with some interpretations. On his side was the Indian at whose headgear Abbie was trying not to laugh aloud. The few Muggles who came in normal clothes were technical staff who did not pay attention to anything that moved, they were specialists dealing with equipment.

'I am glad to know that the Blacks were not the only family that scared their kids away!' Sirius was laughing.

'Trust me, your ones look like a song compared to mine!' Abbie was sipping her Pepsi and dangling the glass to hear the music of the ice cubes.

'That is why you are an entrepreneur of your own. I wish I had the guts to do it. But my utmost courage was to run away to James.'

'I think that you are underestimating yourself. There is fame in your future, I can see it, something to do with music, but I cannot pinpoint it.'

'How come? You have guessed everything right up to now! I should be an open book for you.'

'There is a trick. If by some reason your future is linked with mine I cannot see it.'

'I like that very much!'

'That I cannot see it?'

'No, that your future will be linked with mine. I am not quite sure it is good for you though!'

'I can't complain up to now – you saved me from Mom, brought me on a date which most wizards would not dare…'

'Well, there are much more things I want to do with you, but you know that already. I find it quite comforting that the woman of my heart will not need for me to vocalize all my dirty thoughts.'

Abbie laughed again.

'I would have loved to join you in these actions but I am supposed to do it only with my properly wed husband.'

'Is it an American liberated way to say "Merry me!" – because the answer is "yes!"'

'I did not mean it to sound like that, I have no right to …'

'Late! You proposed and I accepted! Merlin, my family tree will turn into burning bush, who would think that a pureblood witch of such beauty and talent will look twice at their condemned twig. The hell with Grimauld, Reg will take care of it together with Kreacher and enjoy it. I am moving to Salem.'

'Why?'

'Isn't it obvious, Abbie, I love you, we are getting married when we stop over in Canada and I will do whatever is possible for you to be proud of your choice! Say "yes" my love, we will go tell that to Walburga on the road to pick up my luggage!'

Abbie touched his hand tentatively. The picture was clearer now, she saw an enormous stage in front of a crowd of tens of thousands spectators and on it, oh, no, that could not be, no way. She blinked again but the image did not dissipate.

On the stage Sirius and her dad were singing a duet and accompanying themselves on guitars! Their song was almost inaudible in the ecstatic roar of the audience.

Sirius left some Muggle money on the table, put a hand over her one still clutching his palm and said, 'Hold on, you are up for a ride!' They disapparettred.


	14. Chapter 14 On Mice and Mousetraps

_Alex the Kritikanzer's notes: __It will be my pleasure to know what you like and what you don't of what you have read up to now – if you will be so kind to share you thoughts with me. Whatever you have recognized as J.K. Rowling's or Notwolf's is very much theirs so I take neither credit nor blame for it. Have a wonderful day!_

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Chapter 14 – On Mice and Mousetraps

The funeral director was outraged. Mr. Mulciber was very important client but even the very important clients were not allowed to insult his establishment. Was it insulated against mice, what a ridiculous question! As if he would let the critters get to his clients' loved ones and spoil the work of his team to make them look like they were alive, even better sometimes. It was a reputable place serving the community for ages! The director absentmindedly helped two elder ladies, one of which tripped on her long robe while clutching huge bouquet of beautiful roses and a cloud of baby breath. Poor woman, she was so out of her mind that she had brought flowers more suitable for a marriage, or the vendor had not got her request and had sold what he had. His present client Mrs. Mulciber was well liked by the wizarding community and her coffin was almost covered with blooms, probably the nearby shops were running low on posies, they should thank him for the brisk trade in the aftermath of the devastation that Lucius had caused when he had ordered the flowers from a posh florist in France. More people were coming and the crowd around Mr. Mulciber was dense with people who wanted to express condolences. Mice, huh!

* * *

It was a growing moon, exactly what she needed. Minerva put Mulciber's ring in a moon ray glowing over her night table, next to the bracelet. Her life had come a full circle. Yes, people were returning to the places where they have been happy but it was a mistake. They were coming different and expecting that all would remain the same. How stupid! There were many stupid decisions people made and ruined not only their lives but the ones of their children. Her mother had loved her father dearly and had been terrified at the thought that he would find who she actually was and of his reaction after that. It was her fear that had ruined Minerva's life, although she was not the one to be blamed for it. Life was a choice and it was the choice that mattered. The old teacher smiled at the glinting stones and the two small vials next to them. The choice had been so long ago. It was execution time.

* * *

The entire family gathered around the dinner table. Krums were a lot of them and by some reason they have gathered the clan that night. Probably they have come to help with the defense of Durmstrand, Hermione thought, passing the gravy to Victor's smiling aunt. There was only one chair that was unoccupied – the one next to the host. The person missing was Victor's grandmother who had muttered something to her son-in-law and disappeared in the general direction of the kitchen. Luna was laughing her heart out over a joke one of Victor's cousins was telling at the other end of the table. She felt at home in the household and Hermione was jealous of it, as she had more trouble adjusting. Luna was treated as favourite niece and had no trouble with it while Victor's relatives treated Hermione as a glass doll. If not for her well publicized romance with Tanassov one could think that Luna would be their first choice for a consort for the family heir. Victor treated her cordially as well but with the respectful distance from someone else girlfriend. She was jealous, Hermione suddenly gasped, really jealous, nothing like the childish play around Ron! She felt Victor's hand squeezing her one under the table.

'You don't like the medley? Too much paprika?' he looked concerned.

'I love it! Why?'

'You were frowning…'

'It should be the ocra, I am not partial on it!' she tried to unload her bad mood on the innocent vegetable.

'Hmm, I should go see what is taking Gran so much in the kitchen!'

Before he managed to get up, his father took his fork and tapped his glass of wine. The elder Krum's authority was close to reverence in his house and the conversations died in the middle of the sentences.

'It is a special time and I got a request from my mother-in-law to tell you a story. Nothing in it is pleasant but she insisted that a new life should start without skeletons in the closet, so to speak. Victor, you will translate it to Hermione and Bojan will translate to Luna if needed. And I don't want a single squeak from the others until I finish!'

As if they would dare, Victor swallowed a smile.

* * *

Tanassov blessed the wisdom of the Durmstrang director who had insisted on a particular woolen cloth for the institute's uniform. Even if it looked very fancy it was warm even in the freezing draft coming from the abyss under his transport. He had snuggled into the huge feathers trying his best to protect the little creature he was hugging. Jumping from a flying eagle to another one over thousands of miles of nothing was not something that he had been looking for as an end of the night of the ball but he had not had a choice. On the move he had almost swallowed the ring with the stone that allowed him to understand the language of the eagles and really wanted to know who had been the twisted mind that had charmed it to work only if under the tongue of the person listening. But the lore said that the guy had been a shepherd, not a frequent flyer. Dimitar's only comfort was that now he was riding the oldest mother eagle and she was as mighty as she was wise. The eagle who had picked him at Malfoys was helping her husband to fly despite his injuries. The Muggle watch that Luna had given Dimitar as present was her style – a grinning Mickey Mouse was looking from the disk but his hands were pointing at phosphorescent figures. The party still had some time before the twelfth hour but the Headmaster was sensing that the eagles were getting weaker. They should be somewhere close to the surface yet not there yet. He was more and more concerned about the little morsel he had put in his vest to try to keep warm. Something had to be done. He was running out of time.

* * *

Agelastus was livid. All that risk for nothing. His wife was not wearing her wedding ring – blasted Sybil had missed grossly on this one, he would take care that she paid for it as he was perfectly alive. But the puzzling part was that the bitch that had sullied Mulciber's name with the half-blood bastard was not wearing it either. It was not fitting her greedy hand probably, but a simple charm would have done the trick. If she was the real Mrs. Mulciber the charm would not have been needed but may be it was not working without the bangle. No matter what, he was going to celebrate the next evening, the pinnacle of his dreams was about to be reached. Nobody knew that he had returned, they would not know what hit them. He smiled at his companion.


	15. Chapter 15 Fathers and Sons

_Alex the Kritikanzer's notes: __It will be my pleasure to know what you like and what you don't of what you have read up to now – if you will be so kind to share you thoughts with me. Whatever you have recognized as J.K. Rowling's or Notwolf's is very much theirs so I take neither credit nor blame for it. Have a wonderful day!_

_The previous chapter was somewhat short - so you here is a little bit more reading:)

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CHAPET 15 – Fathers and Sons

To the surprise of everyone around the table, the elder Krum addressed Hermione.

'My dear, you saw today the object of this talk, or more precisely, one of them. As you are well aware, the history of the First Wizard War here in Bulgaria is not less bloody than the rest of Europe and it put people who had been friends, colleagues or even family members against each other. Some joined the cohorts of Grindelwald and were up to their elbows in blood, but there were also the decent people who fought them with all their might. To cut it short, it was a bad time to be around any way. There were attempts at Durmstrang to be infiltrated, Grindelwald was dreaming to come back triumphant to the place where he had been expelled in shame. However he had underestimated the then director, Mr. Devilov.

Oh, he did look somewhat like his namesake, short, slightly hunchback, dark hair, dark eyes and he was limping a little after an old battle scar turned impossible to heal properly. There were rumors that his father was not from our Earth but he was always laughing at it when he was coming to our home as he was friend of my father. His exterior may have been dark but his soul was light and he had evaluated his former pupil right. Devilov was confident that until the teachers at Durmstrang stay together Grindelwald had no chance to penetrate the place, no matter how great a wizard he had been. Those were people who not only taught Dark Arts, they studied them and were wise and knowledgeable.

Every castle falls because of its own traitors. I was almost eleven at that time and eager to start school that summer. My father sent us with Mom to my maternal grandparents for a vacation and there we got the message that Durmstrang had fallen and all the old teachers had vanished as well as some of the most prominent fighters. They were never found and it was another twenty years before we found who had sold them.

The education at Durmstrang suffered a huge setback with the actual beheading of the staff, the ones that were promoted were not even mediocre teachers compared to the previous set, but after several years all started to get to normal as the stupid ones died their own deaths due to their own incapacity to perform complex magic. There were few Grand Inquisitors that remained and the school was ruled but the likes of Karkaroff, then they also were removed and for a while the school flourished. Then Riddle came to pick up the remnants of Grindelwald's ideas and mess the heads again, but he was far and we got a respite after he blasted the young Potter, or more precisely the curse blasted him.

In the meantime I proposed to the most beautiful woman I have ever met, inside and out!'

The elder Krum looked at his wife sitting on his left, across the empty chair for her mother. He held her hand tenderly.

'The custom required that I ask her father for the permission to marry her, but she had been orphaned before she was born. Her father had been the veterinarian who had taken care of the flesh-eating horses part of which you saw today. He had vanished at the same time as the teachers after the treason and there were the nasty rumors that he had been the person to betray them. You see, he had been a foreigner, several years before he had brought the horses from his native Tcherna Gora in fear that they would be captured and used by the evil people that seemed to be gaining the upper hand. It had probably been an impressive picture, the pack of fire-breathing enormous winged horses in the night sky with only two riders – him and his wife, as the rest of their people had been slaughtered in an ambush few hours previously defending their animals. The horses were covered with blood – some of their own and some human, gapping slices through their flesh from hexes gone the wrong way. Devilov had accommodated them in the old veelas' stable as the local flesh-eaters had been extinguished long ago as too dangerous. The veelas were delighted as they did not fear them and knew how to groom them, but my father-in-law was the main responsible.

The few people who defended him in his absence were pointing that he would never leave his pregnant wife after years of dreaming to become a father, nor would he leave his books about the fiery horses, nor the horses themselves. He had already risked his hide for them, why would he leave what was his love and his profession, his life?

At that time I was planning to become a healer and was studying under the father of the Headmaster, the elder Tanassov. He was a prominent doctor and rather good to be killed as Grindelwald himself had said. He was our best man and on our wedding feast he overheard the curses my father was uttering against my wife. That tipped the elder Tanassov to slip into my father's wine some Veritaserum. And he spilled the beans.

He had sold Durmstrang and the people who had considered him friend, whose bread he had eaten. Yes, greater goods were poisonous idea; he had demanded neither payment nor position for his services. He had demanded only that they were left alive. He better did not do that!'

The stunned Hermione managed to squeak, "But why? They were to be saved!'

'May be he thought so but it did not turned as planned. Grindelwald and his cronies did leave them alive. They left them bound, gagged and wandless in the pen with the flesh-eating horses which were tied close enough to reach their victims but far enough from any other food. My father-in-law was a collateral damage – at the wrong place at the wrong time and trying to resist. He had managed to let the mares fly away, but did not reach the stallions on time. He was tossed with the group and was eaten by his own horses that were going mad of starvation and thirst. Once these horses try human flesh, they will always crave it and it is not their fault. That is why as soon as we took over we slaughtered all the stallions but one which is chained underground and kept under all kind of wards that we could think of. Blacky is his son and we hoped to keep him away of human diet and slaughter the father eventually.'

Hermione was staying very still and trying to breathe through her nose to keep her dinner down. She had some idea that the history of Durmstrang was not all roses and pumpkin pies but she had not expected anything as bad. The worse part was that the elder Krum did not seem to have finished. He was looking at his wife who had paled as it seemed that she was hearing the story for a first time. He squeezed her hand.

'Just a little more. After we heard that story from my half drunk father, you can imagine our outrage. Tanassov the elder was blistering. The person who had been teaching Healing practices in Durmstrang under Devilov and had disappeared with him had been his eldest brother. You can imagine what he had felt. He told me that he valued our friendship but he was not leaving my father unpunished. I did agree with him and helped him levitate Father to Durmstrang. We brought him to Devilov's portrait and told him the story in few words. He said that we should not kill my father as his blood no matter how evil would be on us. 'You are right, Headmaster!" said my best man, 'We will take him to see what he had sold and we will take it from there!' So we chained him in the Easter Tower as from there one can see almost the entire Durmstrang and even the stables. We put wards on the door and the windows and left him there. We swore that he would be buried after one of his victims comes and pleads for us to do that, but not before that. On the fortieth day we went to the then Headmaster and confessed what we have done. As Tanassov had lost a brother in the slaughter and pleaded that he had acted under affect, he was cleared. He testified that he had Imperiused me to spare me the trouble although I opposed it. He threatened to Imperius me in earnest it I continue to insist – he said that the children should not pay for their fathers' sins. I decided to change plans about my occupation to honor my extraordinary father-in-law who had been brave enough to oppose an overwhelming enemy. He may not have succeeded but the blood of other decent people was not on his hands. So I continued what he had started. Now you know why my father's skeleton is where it is. We took the wards today in the morning for the first time in so long.'

The gathering was holding their collective breath. They had not expected anything like that. The most astonished was Victor's mother. She looked at her grim firstborn and swallowed.

'You knew that, Victor?'

He nodded. "I swore that if something happens to Father I would take over. I know the wards –apart from him it is either me or Dr. Tanassov who can enter there or one who is coming with us.' He turned to Hermione apologetically. 'That is why it was so grimy there today.'

'My poor boy, you have lived with all this! It is not to bear alone and your father is right, there should be no skeletons in the closet. I think..'

'Hold on what you think for one moment, daughter mine!' Victor's grandmother came in with a round bread spread with honey and put it in front of Hermione. She looked at it puzzled – it was very big for one person and a small piece had already been ripped off it already. The young witch looked at the old woman but it was Victor who spoke first.

'You should not do it, Gran!' He looked embarrassed.

'What is it?' Hermione asked then looked around. It was evident that the family was waiting for her to do something. She did the most natural thing – tore the bread and gave everyone a piece. The cheers that erupted were deafening. Luna jumped and embraced her as if Hermione had done something extraordinary. The blond witch hugged Victor's grandmother and danced with her, chanting, "I told you she will know what to do, she loves him as he loves her!'

'Luna, may be you can tell me what is going on? I think I am lost!' Hermione waited the dance to calm a little bit.

'You are not, you are found! It is an ancient tradition, but somewhat upside down. Once upon a time if a guy had had his way with a girl her parents were bringing to his parents a round bread with a piece torn out, as the girl had been "compromised". If it was a standard engagement the bread was untouched. So the parents of the boy were supposed to break the bread as a sign of agreement. Victor's grandmother said she should go ask yours parents as Victor is too shy for that, but I told her that you are of age and you can decide for yourself. If you have not touched the bread, she would have been devastated, everyone loves you to bits and pieces here and it is a miracle after they have been hearing from Victor for all these years how great you are. They feared that you may marry someone by mistake and he will be unhappy forever.'

'And nobody thought necessary to tell me what it meant?'

'Would it change what you just did?' Luna was smiling knowingly but right behind her there was a table where everyone who spoke at least a little bit of English had frozen in anticipation. Victor had paled and even his grandmother looked ill at ease.

'Not a single bit!' Hermione jumped in the hands of the Quidditch champion who whirled her around and kissed her soundly. He let her down only in order to hug the old woman.

'Thank you Grandma, I was told that you are the bravest woman on Earth, now I am sure Mom did not exaggerate!'

The old woman hugged him back and turned to Hermione. 'He is a good boy and will take care of you, my dear!'


	16. Chapter 16 Funeral for the Enemy

_Alex the Kritikanzer's notes: __It will be my pleasure to know what you like and what you don't of what you have read up to now – if you will be so kind to share you thoughts with me. Whatever you have recognized as J. K. Rowling's or Notwolf's is very much theirs so I take neither credit nor blame for it. Have a wonderful day!_

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CHAPTER 16 – Funeral for the Enemy or Another Elder Wand

'She did not want to have the antidote right away, do it think it is normal?' Severus was sharing a nightcap with Aline in the quiet of his quarters. He was thinking how much he wanted to get a sabbatical and go somewhere with his wife alone for a while, may be to Salem or to France, or even pick up Tanassov on his offer to teach a semester at Durmstrang as an guest professor. But the choice had been torn out of his hands again. He had to start digging trenches around Hogwarts instead and beef up the protection of everyone. Jacintha, Glenna, Jack and their children were the prime targets of the madman but the Boy-Wonder was also in the list, probably Minerva and after them half the world. He had picked up the archives from Wizengamot trial when Agelastus was sent to Azkaban. Odd, but mostly the defendant was not referring to Riddle, he was referring to Grindelwald. Was it possible that he had dreamed of restoring the old bastard to power? Was he using Tom as a scapegoat while the other was gathering forces? Nobody had paid attention to that during the trial and after that Tom had gone completely berserk and taken over. Severus realized that he had stopped thinking of the madman as of Lord Voldemort. For him he had become back the Tom Riddle that was torn between his past and his future, neither one of which had held any good things for him. Probably the fleeting feeling for Minerva was the only light spot in a life marked by darkness, and even that had been taken away from him. He felt sorry for Tom, not for the fallen ambitions, not for the lost quest for glory or Immortality, but for the poor kid that was even conceived in deception disguised as love. Would Tom be the same if Minerva had become Mrs. Riddle? Or Mrs. Milciber? All that was a wild speculation, of course. He had to follow Minerva's plan for the moment, whatever she would decide.

'Bed time, my love!' he chuckled.

* * *

Tanassov looked at the hands of the smiling Mickey Mouse. He remind him of ballet dancer in a pirouette – there were fifteen minutes to midnight but there was not sign that his party was at the end of the flight. The little one had been unnaturally quiet in the last few minutes, the whimpering barely audible over the mighty swishes of the huge wings battling around them. It was dehydration that was the biggest threat. Further risking was not possible. The man hugged the little one tighter to position it properly and pulled out his dagger. It will have to do. He opened his own vein on the wrist and directed the trickle to where he hoped it reached the little one. The tiny happy sound indicated that even in the complete darkness he had judged right. He prayed that they were not far.

* * *

'On your brooms, kids, time to get back to Durmstang. There are few salves that should be almost done for creaming, the blood replenishing potion should be ready in half an hour; I want to use the cauldrons to put the next batch to brew immediately. We better have the infirmary stock ready, who knows how much we may need in what is coming.' The elder Krum was dressed all in black and wearing a heavy cloak. The clan was dressed similarly and the men mounted and left in a triangular formation that showed a lot of practice. Hermione gulped and said, 'I am coming with you!' Victor smiled, 'Will you share a broom with me?'

'No!' it was his grandmother. 'I am coming with you! I have not flown in ages, but if you think that I am staying home tonight, you better think twice!'

'Don't worry, we will floo through the kitchen! Come!' Luna already was heading for the huge fireplace where she and Hermione fit without trouble.

'Mother, why are you coming?' Victor's father was respectful as always. He had never seen his mother-in-law flying and even less performing magic more than the few household spells to help her in the daily chores. He knew that she had been the village medicine woman and was a close friend with some of the elder veelas but she spent the little free time that the home care left stitching her never-ending embroidery or listening to the children's stories, holding counsel in their little wars over a dead rat or particularly beautiful fish. She spent the spring and summer in the garden and the harvest season in the kitchen making tons of preserve the old-fashioned way. The old woman was soft spoken and rarely demanded something.

'You said that your father would be buried when one of his victims asks for that. I am asking for it now, but not because of mercy, don't get me wrong. The dead are not enemies, but the war is not over until the last soldier is buried, no matter whose side they were at. He fought for what he believed in and paid for it, the death put the final line and made the draw to him. But not to me! He had been a stone on top of my heart and I want to bury him under a stone for the evil that he represented never to rise. He does not deserve to see what he robbed Bojan of seeing, no matter if he is looking at it with his empty eye sockets. He has too good an accommodation. Get me to him; there is still time to do it before Dimitar comes.'

Victor shuddered. 'Let's go Gran, I will help you!'

* * *

They flew to the top floor of the Eastern Tower alone, only the two of them, the old woman and the young man. She took out of her apron pocket a white cloth and spread it on the stone floor. Victor took out his wand to gather the bones on it and the cloth knotted itself tight as if invisible fingers were pulling on it. Then they mounted the broom again and the old woman had the package in her hand. She directed her grandson to a junction where the road to Durmstrang was splitting into three other roads. They dismounted and Victor looked expecting her orders. She only waved at him to get a little further.

The small woman put her white pack on the ground and to Victor's surprise pulled a wand from her long braid. He knew that his grandma was a witch but had never seen her waving her wand, nor the wand itself. The young man blanched – he recognized the material, it had the same knots as the Elder Wand that was pictured at the news after Dumbledore's death. It was not common material for wands although Grigorovitch had insisted that it is one of the most powerful woods but one of the most poisonous as well.

A swish of the wand opened a hole in the middle of the four roads. Another one opened the pouch and a third one made the bones fly and arrange themselves perfectly in the form of a full skeleton. Few gentle movements turned the skeleton face down and laid it in the hole. Next flew a small flock of needles, simple sewing needles that Victor's grandmother had always pinned to the thick cordons decorating her vest. The needles pinned themselves in the skeleton's feet bones half entering the bleached remains. Swish again and the hole closed as if it had never been there. Only then the little woman opened her mouth and said loudly, 'There are three roads from here for you never to decide where to go and you will lay face down for if you want to go you will go down only to where you belong but you would have to crawl there as you will not be able to walk again - the needles will hurt you. And to be sure that you will never rise again, I command the stones that had witnessed your burial to come and witness it forever for nobody to be able to wake you up. Let curse be upon you!' The witch made a swiping circle around and the small pebbles rolled first, then the bigger stones and finally a huge boulder lifted itself and toppled the small pile. It looked like a road sign marking the center of the junction and looked like it had been there for ages. The witch pushed her wand back in her braid and looked at her grandson.

"Let's go my dear. There are wards to clear and your father needs us!'

The still pale Victor nodded and looked at her eyes which were grass green and very very young. He picked up the broom.


	17. Chapter 17 Chirpchirpchirp!

_Alex the Kritikanzer's notes: __It will be my pleasure to know what you like and what you don't of what you have read up to now – if you will be so kind to share you thoughts with me. Whatever you have recognized as J. K. Rowling's or Notwolf's is very much theirs so I take neither credit nor blame for it. Have a wonderful day!

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CHAPTER 17 – Chirp-chirp-chirp

Victor and his grandmother landed in the inner yard and the old woman went to the kitchen which was turned at the moment into improvised potion laboratory. She found her son-in-law and looked in his dark eyes. 'You can be sure that I put all the precautions for him not to come back. You can go over it now as you are free. It is a night when the bills were paid and scores settled.'

He sighed. 'I am his blood, am I not?'

'Yes, you are, but the choices are yours and you have chosen the life and he chose death. And that salve there in the fourth cauldron from the door is supposed to be a deeper shade of purple; someone had been economical on medicinal violets. I will go fix it.'

* * *

A piercing whistle from the Northern Tower drew every person to the central yard – it was the sign that the bats have burst from the Queens' Pit and it meant that the rescue party was close to the surface. The Elder Krum was counting the short whistles that followed – five, six, seven. He thought that he must have been wrong; such a group had never been around as far as he knew. One was a rare enough occurrence, but seven? He quickly exchanged some words with the chatelaine and asked the onlookers to make space. Whoever had not a special interest was ordered out of the yard. The chatelaine took out her wand and moved the cozy tables and benches from the lawn. They were charmed against students' pranks and she was the one to move them without much effort. The woman barely finished when the first grand bird dropped like a stone and quickly moved to the end of the lawn, then the mother-eagle landed with Tanassov on her back as close to the school door as it dared without breaking her feathers. A strange formation followed – two eagles hovered very carefully so the father-eagle did not reach the grass. The huge bird was suspended over two parallel beams which the eagles were holding in their beaks and claws. The spare pair that had been replacing at intervals their brothers dropped exhausted.

Victor's father had one look at the mangled feet of the father-eagle and his wand was already conjuring a proper suspension for the injured bird. Merlin, the boy was heavy! How the young eagles had dragged him for two days and nights up without a stop was a miracle! They were known to be able to fly out a human but this load was heavier and the position had heavily impacted on their flying pattern. The moment they felt that it was safe to let go of the beams, the last two eagles fell on the ground. The veterinarian turned to the Headmaster who was still on the back of the mother-eagle. Something was completely wrong, he run towards the bird but Luna beat him. She got to Dimitar first and reached to hug him. The man opened his eyes and whispered, 'The little one, take care of the little one!'

By the time the elder Krum got to his friend Luna was already unbuttoning his bloody shirt and gently lifting the tiny white ball of fluff covered with blood. She quickly opened her own shirt and hugged it close.

'Auntie Dessa, we need blood here!'

Mother-eagle's screech almost drowned the end of her yell but the bustle inside the doors showed that it had been heard. The elder Krum and Victor took off the Headmaster and laid him on the ground.

'Victor, get the Healer and grandma fast!' the elder man urged. He cut the uniform unceremoniously looking for the wound that had covered Tanassov with so much blood. Mother-eagle was screeching something, but he could not understand. The ring that allowed to speak her language was nowhere to be seen either. The bird pushed Luna gently and with its mighty beak tore the Headmaster's sleeve to expose the opened vein. Relieved, Victor's father healed it with one movement.

'Thank you! Any chance you know what he did with the ring as well?'

The bird waggled her tongue. Merlin, but he was dense! Of course the ring worked only under the tongue. He lifted his friend who was losing consciousness.

'Spit it, Dimitar, just spit it!'

A bowl of water was tossed in his hand and he looked up to see Hermione with wand out. She would make the best daughter-in-law, the veterinarian thought and smiled. The ring blinked at him and Hermione was already supporting the bowl with a blood-replenishing potion to the lips of the deathly pale Tanassov.

* * *

'I am going to wash the little eagle and feed it, will its mom let me get out of her sight?' Luna was wary as the mother-eagle did not look like the friendliest of pets.

'She will. She knows that you will take care of her little one. Go, there are enough people around! Dimitar will be in the infirmary after that.'

The blond witch went to the first floor bathroom and gently washed the chick which was chirping something in its own language, then brought it next to the huge fire in the kitchen to dry. It was a hot night but the chick was so little, the snow white down that covered it not enough to keep the tiny body warm. Luna changed the wet towel for a dry fluffy one and brought a bowl of lamb soup. The chirping got even more cheerful and the little one nearly dropped into the food.

'You know what, you had a bath for today, keep steady with that big head of yours!'

'Go-go-go!"

'More substantial as this was a drink only? Here!' she was slicing small pieces of boiled lamb and feeding them to her enthusiastic charge. 'More? But you will burst along the seams!'

'Chirp-chirp-chirp-chirp!'

'Oh, I see, you have put the exhaust system in motion, the talassams will have a lot of washing to do! Blue Bananas, I need a new towel from the lower bathroom, please, better make them three just in case.'

'Ga-ga-ga!'

'What, more soup? Please!'

'Chirp!'

'Time to visit mom and pop and tell them there is food around? I think they know but will feel better to see you, let's go!'

Luna picked up the bundle from the table and hugged it.

'What are you doing? It tickles, stop it, Mini, I can't hold you if you wiggle like that!'

From the door Victor's grandmother was laughing at the sight.

'She is grooming you, searches for fleas, she likes you!'

'Oh, I like her also; we will have to find another way to show affection!'

* * *

The big yard was lit by tall torches and the men were busy caring for the eagles. Cauldrons with soup were brought to each bird and other ones with deboned meat were prepared next to them. One did not need to be a veterinarian to see that the giant birds were bone tired. The Quidditch team got the task to levitate them to the Eastern tower, first the five younger ones to be comfortable in their eyries. Food and water was also brought there. When Luna came out only two birds were in the yard – the mother and father eagles. The young witch was cradling the enthusiastically chirping youngling and brought it close to mom first. There was a quick exchange of sounds that were like a cacophony to the woman but made the elder Krum laugh. Before he managed to say something, the mother eagle affectionately ruffled Luna's hair and pecked on her few times without harming the young woman. She recognized the pattern, the same as the tiny bird had tried on her. The little bundle in the pink fluffy towel almost jumped out of her hands.

'Oh no, you stay put! You are not getting to the tower, you are coming with me! It is too drafty for you there. We will go visit mom often, I promise, but you are staying with me.'

"Ga!'

'Soup again? You just ate!'

'Ga!'

'Fine, I got it,' Luna conjured a small bowl and filled it from one of the nearby cauldrons. The chirp turned into happy slurping and this time the sound from the mother eagle was definitely laughter.


	18. Chapter 18 The Subtleties of the English

_Alex the Kritikanzer's notes: __It will be my pleasure to know what you like and what you don't of what you have read up to now – if you will be so kind to share you thoughts with me. Whatever you have recognized as J. K. Rowling's or Notwolf's is very much theirs so I take neither credit nor blame for it. Have a wonderful day!

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CHAPTER 18 – The Subtleties of the English Language

It was late but Sirius had not shown yet and Hagrid was getting worried. His friend had said he was going on a date with a beautiful lady but had not elaborated who she was and the giant was concerned that it might have been a trap; his former Azkaban fellow mate was not known to make friends more than making enemies. A roar outside announced that the rogue man had parked his famous motorcycle outside. Hagrid went to open the door and was surprised. Sirius had not gotten off the bike and sitting behind him was Headmaster's sister-in-law!

'Hagrid, I am sorry, I cannot stay with you tonight – I am getting married! As far as I know you have been introduced to my fiancée already and will wish us well.'

'Hello Hagrid, will you please give this to Aline, but only to her, please!'

'But, but… Is it not too soon?'

'When one is sure, he is sure! Abbie is the one! I hope you will come to visit us in Salem, we will pass you for our Canadian cousin, a lumberjack who has a grizzly pet bear, they will love it. Especially if you bring the grizzly. Thank you for sheltering me yesterday. Give my love to Reg and Harry.'

Sirius gunned the motorcycle and took up. The evening breeze brought to Hagrid the vestiges of shared happy laughter. He felt better – Sirius had not been laughing for so long, the sneers did not count. May be they would be happy far from Britain. He wished them well. The giant looked at the small envelope in his palm. Postal service was not on his list of duties but the Headmaster should not have retired for the night, and he had to tell him about the horse anyway. The giant warded the door and left for the castle.

* * *

Was Dumbledore subject to constant pushing and night visits? That may explain his disposition, Severus thought acidly while tightening his robe's belt to answer the door. There was no doubt who was on the other side, it was a miracle that the wood still held against the fist of one Grounds Keeper with sleeping problems. It better be something really important!

'I am sorry for the late hour, but you said that you should be told.'

Very promising. They better get in and put the silencing charms.

'Come in Hagrid, take a seat!' Severus tried to reinforce the chair without it being too obvious.

'I have a letter to Miss Conn, pardon, Mrs. Snape.'

Severus extended a hand but the giant shook his head vehemently.

'Her sister said to give it just to her!'

The subtleties of the English language were not Hagrid's forte, that should be the explanation and it called for patience. Probably Aline had woken up anyway.

'Give me a few seconds! I will ask her to come…'

He quietly opened the door of his chamber and looked at the fully dressed witch. 'You have mail, love, but a hand-in-hand delivery, so to speak!' She stuck her tongue at him and he laughed. It was so easy to be a happy man with her.

'Hello Hagrid, would you like a cup of tea? We were about to have a cup with Severus.' She was nice to the old man, her husband thought, as that was what Hagrid was, an old man. Everybody was so accustomed to him being around that rarely they were paying attention to the white hairs in his black mane and beard, to the somewhat stiff movements in the morning. He might need a helper and a better accommodation than his drafty cabin. Or vacation to the South of France, Merlin, he had earned it.

'Mighty nice of you, Miss Conn, pardon, Mrs. Snape!'

'As I am staying, may be you should call me Aline, that is easier.'

'Sure, you may call me Rubeus, but no one does that, I am Hagrid for everyone forever. Your sister passed by tonight and left you a letter.' Hagrid took the envelope from his pocket. Even somewhat crimpled, the coat of arms of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Blacks was taking a third of the envelope's front. Next to it a beautiful script proclaimed that the receiver was Mrs. Aline Snape. Abbie writing on Black's stationary – that was upsetting to say the least.

'She did not want to stop by with me?' That hurt.

'You see, she was somewhat busy, on the road, I would say, may be she wrote why… I think I better skip that tea…'

'You came only to bring the letter?'

'No, I saw a horse, fit for me, that is it, and he eats lamb…'

That did not make sense. Severus knew Hagrid's knack to deal with animals. The man who had hatched a dragon for a pet should not be impressed by horses. He asked the Grounds Keeper to elaborate. The more Hagrid talked, the grimmer Severus became. If it was anyone else but the Grounds Keeper, he would think that the person had mistaken a Hybridian Black dragon for a fire breathing horse, the head was somewhat similar. Not Hagrid. The earning in his voice when he was describing the luscious mane made Severus alert. No more pets, please, it had to be someone's, this beast! The headmaster was positive there were not such horses in Britain, he would have known. Damn, Lucius had mentioned at the night of the ball the strange travelling arrangement of Tanassov, he had mentioned fire-breathing horses, but said they were partial on live coals and gasoline, and they were piebald, not raven. Anyway, the Bulgarian Quidditch prodigy had departed with all of them, mercifully picking up with him Miss Know-Everything and Miss Lovegod. He was missing something, Severus knew it, there was a link he was not seeing and he frowned.

'If I manage to trace the owner and he sells it to me, I will ask for your permission to build a new stable next to the Thestrals.'

That was it, damn it, the missing link! Agelastus and whoever was with him was looking for Thestral hairs for the wands. His accomplice had come to help him, the one who would make the Elder Wand's clones in Bulgaria. The Headmaster looked at his hourglass – it was long past midnight in Durmstrang. It would be utterly embarrassing to show there with the strange question 'Have you lost a horse?' in the middle of the night. But Tanassov was a doctor, he should be used to being waken up in the middle of the night. On a second thought, Bayly had said that the eagle took three days to take a person up from the Lower Earth. Chances were that there would be only Luna around. She was nuts about all kind of odd creatures, she would know. Sending Hagrid was useless, but he had to be taken into the safety of the castle instead of his hut and Minerva would hold the defense until he would be back.

'Oh, no, she had lost her marbles completely this time!' Aline was laughing though.

'Your mom?'

'No, Mom never had much to lose to start with, but Abbie! She writes that she is eloping with Harry's godfather and he will be famous musician and Dad will play with him onstage. Dad onstage, come on, Mom will drop dead at the thought!'

Apart from the last delicious suggestion, of all the conversation Severus got one point – Sirius Black was on the road to America and determined to stay there to the point of getting married! Even as an in-law he would be on the other side of the ocean! Merlin, Severus's mood improved instantly.

'I think we will need to look for a wedding gift. How about a trip to Durmstrang to dicuss it with Tanassov over a nightcap, he had just solved this dilemma? Hagrid, I believe between you, Minerva and Horace, you will be able to defend Hogwarts tonight!'

The giant puffed his chest. 'Mighty right, Headmaster! I will camp in the Great Hall for tonight!'

'Deal! Let's go to Minerva and tell her that on the road!'


	19. Chapter 19 Identification

_Alex the Kritikanzer's notes: __It will be my pleasure to know what you like and what you don't of what you have read up to now – if you will be so kind to share you thoughts with me. Whatever you have recognized as J. K. Rowling's or Notwolf's is very much theirs so I take neither credit nor blame for it. Have a wonderful day!

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CHAPTER 19 - Identification

Why, oh, why he had decided to be delicate and floo to the common heart of Durmstrang instead of Tanassov's office directly? Severus had underestimated the alert code at the castle and he and Aline were now stuck behind mighty wards that did not allow them neither to apparettre nor to step out of the humongous kitchen fireplace. There was no reason someone from the crowd of surly unshaven faces to know him, even less Aline and it was evident by the wands trained at them. He pushed her behind him and the gesture earned him several wands to go down. The remaining ones however held a brief conference and a young lad ran somewhere, hopefully to the Headmaster or at least one of the Krums.

The lad came back running, followed closely by a blond witch clutching punk towel. Merlin, his pass was Luna Lovegood of all people. He was glad but doubted that she would convince their captors to let them in. She briskly spoke with the man who was probably the superior and they exchange a quick argument. Severus tried to get into the man's mind but did not get more than "Polijuice" and "deception". However Luna seemed to be gaining the upper hand. The circle around the floo became much larger and the wards were lifted, however all the wands were trained back on them, including Luna's. Peachy! What were they supposed to do?

'Walk!' the surly man said loudly.

'Excuse me?'

'Walk!'

It was kind of test, so Severus took Aline's hand and made several steps ahead.

'It is him for sure, let go!' Luna pushed her wand in her braid and the other wands were pushed in their holders as well. "I am sorry, Professor Snape, there had been few attempts to get to the castle through the floo, so we had to be sure it was you!'

'Miss Lovegood, would you mind enlightening me how me walking few steps revealed my personal identity? I could be anyone who had drank some Polijuice as you are well aware since you have passing grades in my discipline.' Severus was livid.

'Your robes. Nobody impersonating you can billow his robes the way you do.'

Aline laughed and hugged her husband. 'I would say you have ironed the impression of these robes in the minds of your students! Let's go billow some more! Luna, if I hug you will you recognize me, I cannot billow robes!'

'I would like that very much, but you have to be careful with Mini.'

'Who is Mini?'

The answer poked her downy head from the towel Luna was holding and looked at them with its black eyes full of curiosity. 'Ga?'

'Again?'

'What does he want?'

'It is she and she is constantly hungry. I was anyway coming to pick some meat for her, she ate what I think was half a lamb already.'

'Are there a lot of pets who are partial on lamb around?'

'The eagles upstairs like lamb, why?' The Ravenclaw looked puzzled.

'Do they breathe fire also to roast their lunch?'

'No, those are the horses that breathe fire. Has something happened?'

'How about if I save my breath and tell the story only once. When do you think Dr. Tanassov will be back?'

'He is upstairs in the infirmary, we may go now.'

'Aren't we interrupting his work with his patients?'

'No, he is the only patient there and it is really hard to keep him still. May be a visit will give Vukosava some respite. Please follow me!'

* * *

It reminded Severus of Madame Pomfrey and her charges. Tanassov was sitting on his bed dressed in his black uniform trousers and a pajama top. He was furious with something and was arguing about it with a comely young witch with two long black braids streaming from under her head cover. She was not bulging and it was clear that in the infirmary she was the utmost authority. At the sight of the visitors she smiled and winked at Luna.

'Good evening, Dr. Tanassov, I hope we are not interrupting…'

'I hope you are! Good evening, Professor Snape, Mrs. Snape! I apologise that I had to leave the ball in your honor in such a hurry, I hope you will excuse me!'

'Victor Krum said it was a life and death question and you are going to Lower Earth, we understand the emergency very well. But I don't think our visit is timely, are you sure we are not interrupting a discussion, we can wait.'

'No, just the opposite, I hope Miss Vukosava will listen to your unprejudiced opinion that a fifth vial of blood-replenishing potion is overkill! That on top of three bowls of soup, a quarter of a roasted lamb, a heating potion and a salve over a scratch may actually harm the patient!'

'Well, I am not a Healer, of course, but it is a pretty harsh diet for a recovering invalid.'

'You see, now, will you let me get back to my quarters or I will have to Imperious you? As you see, there is important news to discuss with the Headmaster of Hogwarts for him to pay me a visit in such a difficult time!'

'Luna, you will take care that they are both fed, OK!' There was laughter in Vukosava's dark eyes. She turned to Tanassov. 'I am sorry, but neither your shirt nor your jacket are salvageable, I will send the remains with the talassams after that.'

'I am afraid Vukosava is overly serious about feeding, Apart from that she is an excellent healer, a rare gem! Is the message urgent or I may be allowed a shower?'

'No, it is not that urgent, we will wait.'

'Is it personal? No? Would you mind if I gather my team as well, we will save on repeating?'

'My point exactly. Where would you like for us to wait?'

'Luna, would you please show Mr. and Mrs. Snape to the small dining room next to my office and send one of the talassams for the Krums, Mrs. Klyutcharova, Svilen, Kovatchev and whoever is on guard tonight if there is no reason he not to come. And the kitchen talassams may prepare something light to munch upon, but no more lamb soup, please! Give me five minutes to wash out all this stuff and I will join you!'

One had to give him his due, it was impressive for a man to produce a commanding presence dressed in a hospital pajamas top.


	20. Chapter 20 The Sickle

_Alex the Kritikanzer's notes: __It will be my pleasure to know what you like and what you don't of what you have read up to now – if you will be so kind to share you thoughts with me. Whatever you have recognized as J. K. Rowling's or Notwolf's is very much theirs so I take neither credit nor blame for it. Have a wonderful day!_

_As chapter 19 came somewhat small, you get a bonus one, and TGIF, you know:)_

* * *

CHAPTER 20 – The Sickle

Either the lack of punctuality was a prerogative of the previous Minister only, or Tanassov's team was formed on other principles, but five minutes later the entire group was seated around the huge wooden table that was polished by centuries of use. It matched the heavy chairs with lions' heads carved at the end of the armrests and lions' claws at the base of the legs. The seats and the backs were bound in dark leather and despite their medieval look they were unexpectedly comfortable. Luna seated Severus and Aline at the two places adjacent to Tanassov's throne-like chair at the head of the table and sat next to the witch. Mini was chirping again and Luna sighed, 'How does your mom do it? She is supposed to go hunt to feed you!'

'That is it because she is a preemie, if we look at her in human terms. How is the little girl?' The elder Krum bended to look in the black eyes. The birdie tried to peck his finger. 'Good girl!' He ruffled her dawn and smiled. 'Great job Luna, any time you need a position you may come to the vet section! Don't forget, until she sees that it is completely dark, she will ask for food.'

'Do you think I can hold her for a while, she is so cute!' Aline whispered.

'I think she will not mind, but take care, she wiggles all the time and you know, poops all the time!'

'Shouldn't be that bad!' Aline hugged the little pack. The white head poked out of the green towel and curiously looked at the witch. 'Go?'

'That means drink!' Luna translated quickly and brought closer a bowl of soup.

'I think she drank more in volume that she actually is!' Aline was gaping. 'Oops!'

'That is what I meant! But don't worry, the lore says it is for good luck!' '

'Sure, if I were a dry cleaner, I would say the same! Scourgify!'

'Ga-ga!'

'You see I am slicing, right! Two seconds of patience, Mini! Here, and I will need these fingers again, careful!'

* * *

Tanassov came in, dressed in his black robes and sat at the head of the table. He quickly introduced his guests as if impromptu gathering in two in the morning was as normal as a formal tea party – and may be it was, Severus thought, looking at the men who politely nodded at him and his wife. He recognized Svilen as the man who had ordered him to walk, and the man was introduced as the security director. He probably had a lot to worry about as he looked like he had lost weight recently and the dark circles under his eyes were indicating lack of sleep. However the moment the word "Legilimens" left the Headmaster's lips, the minds of the people around became blank, absolutely blank. It was disturbing as Severus was not used to such complete block. He had spent eternity with the Boy-Wonder trying to teach him basic principles, and here the guys were practicing the advanced forms with the ease of a strolling at the park. On the other hand, he was among the closest ranks to Tanassov, they were bound to be trained soldiers, especially in a school like Durmstrang. He blessed the fact that Tom Riddle had not been a student here; the damage of his madness would have been comparable to the one of Gellert Grindelwald.

'Headmaster?'

'I apologize!' Severus had missed a piece. 'Hogwarts Grounds Keeper, Mr. Hagrid, informed me tonight that an unusual horse had been seen in the grounds. He described a black stallion fit for a giant who breathed fire and roasted his dinner. Both he and I are positive that such horses are not bred in Britain, and it had not been a dragon either as Mr. Hagrid was extremely detailed in his description, the horse had allowed him to stroke its mane which excludes a wild beast as it sniffed his palm. I remembered the transport Dr. Tanassov used recently and decided to pay a visit to find out if there is not a horse missing from Durmstrang stables.'

'What did he have for dinner?' The elder Krum was pale.

'I am not quite sure but I can call Mr. Hagrid immediately to ask, I believe we shared a cold beef with potatoes…' Severus was taken aback. What did that have to do with anything?

'No, not Mr. Hagrid, the horse, you said he roasted his dinner!'

'Oh, he ate the lamb that the Grounds Keeper had prepared for the Hypogriphs. Is it dangerous for the animal?'

'No, no, but he definitely had not bitten a piece off your Grounds Keeper?'

'Not that I know of, he would have told me. He is so fascinated with the horse that he wants to buy it if he finds the actual owner. To be honest, if that is your horse, I would be much obliged if it is not for sale. I have enough trouble with kids running around to keep an eye on a fire breathing horse running after them.'

'Running is not half the trouble. This guy flies and there is not a single animal on this Earth that can out-run or out-fly this particular Blacky.'

It was Severus' turn to turn pale. He imagined the same monster flying over a Quidditch match picking up his breakfast. There were some of the players that he would gladly feed it himself, but it was different. Sybil Trelawney would be a chocolate frog with her Grim. If luck was with him, a crisp one!

'I am about to ask for help and I see that you have had a lot of troubles of your own…' Severus was threading step by step. Nothing on Tanassov's face showed any reason he would be given five vials of blood replenishing potion, not why he would be in the infirmary instead of the Lower Earth.

'I have to apologize again for the scare I gave everybody. It was my mistake or more to say lack of choice and miscalculation. When the eagle picked me up, he told me that his parents' nest had been attacked, his two younger brothers killed and an egg smashed. He told me that for a first time the wounds would not heal and that father-eagle is getting weak. He had been sent by father-eagle. Then the mother came and took the right decision – he would not have survived down there, but I believe we will hear more from Mr. Krum about it. The two newest eagles were slaughtered and the chick that came from the broken egg was half alive. So they tied a small makeshift nest with her in on the back of the mother, picked up dad and flew towards Durmstrang. We met at what I estimated was a third down, but it was difficult for them to fly and it took longer. The baby eagle was dying of thirst and you know, the magic does not work down the chute, I could not conjure even water, so had to use what I could. I was riding the mother eagle by that time and she was not only exhausted but nervous, not much choice. I miscalculated the distance and it was bloody hard to stop the blood once it started, but it is fine, Mini seems doing great.'

'Go?' chirped the white dawn ball

That made everyone laugh. She was an intelligent chick.

* * *

'Well, the wounds on father-eagle's feet are not common wounds; someone had put razors around the nest and a lot. Whoever did it was well aware that at the cries of the little ones the eagle would come immediately, may be they hoped for both elder eagles to come, but the mother was further away. The other calculation was that he is too heavy to stop immediately, so that explains the wounds on his belly. He was lucky; he probably sensed it in the last few seconds. But I want to show you something.'

Mr. Krum took out a handkerchief and opened it.

* * *

It was a relatively big brooch in the form of a sickle which was made of hammered metal and had even a tiny handle made of dark polished wood. It crescent shape made it similar to the sickles that were used to harvest wheat but on a much smaller scale. Although somewhat unusual choice of proclaiming one's occupation it could be considered a decoration until Victor's father took a napkin from the table and threw it in the air then met it with the sickle's inside edge. The cloth fell in two pieces flowing on the both sides of the jewel. Aline gasped and Svilen hissed.

'It is good with cloth but father-eagle has been around for almost five thousand years and his feet are somewhat sturdier. However I had to operate to extract it. The metal was all in, I found it only because he screamed and I could see the handle protruding. I doubt it was planted deliberately; more it was dropped in the hurry to slaughter the little eagles and plant the razors and stalks. I wish we could have had a way to identify to whom it belonged.'

Severus had a faint feeling that he had seen this particular brooch somewhere, just the nagging that it had been a part of someone's attire, but could not pinpoint it. He said so and looked at Aline.

'My dear, may be you can help me with locating this memory?'

Aline shook her head. 'I would like to touch the brooch first, please! It is not guaranteed but it may have a trace of someone…'

Mr. Krum brought the jewel in front of her and cautioned, 'It is really sharp, take care!'

* * *

The witch's long fingers delicately touched the hammered surface and she closed her eyes in few seconds. The company around the table was silent. The instants stretched into a minute and Aline seemed to be getting into trance. Suddenly her lashes fluttered but her eyes did not open. Tanassov shoved her hand from the sickle in one rapid movement. Severus drew his wand in an instant, considering it an insult to his wife's abilities. The doctor however lifted his hand and pointed at the little turquoise ring he had given to the witch as a wedding present. The stone that a moment before had been sky blue was rapidly fading.

'She needs besoir!' Severus was digging into his pocket already, forgetting wands and insults instantly.

'No she does not, that is not a physical poison, Professor! I should have thought about it earlier!' Tanassov trained his hands at Aline without touching her and started a long sing-song incantation. The only person around the table that seemed to know it was Victor's father. He jumped and brought from the side table a candle, lit it and handed it to Tanassov without a word, then continued to distribute candles to all present, lighting them on the go. The witch was still sitting with her eyes closed, but her face was showing a full range of emotions – a tenderness, an awe and a compassion, a brief dash of grief, a long stretch of horror, then a gleam of hope. Severus reached for her, but the elder Krum vigorously shook his head and silently mouthed "No!" and he withdrew his hand. Tanassov was still talking in a low soothing voice as the candle was getting smaller and smaller and just before it completely burned out, Mini loudly announced "Ga!" and broke the spell.

Aline opened her eyes and looked up at the concerned faces of people who blew tiny remains of candles burnt almost to their fingers. She sighed.

'So I did not imagine the candles at least then!'

Severus jumped and hugged her, all decorum thrown to the wind. She hugged him back as if looking for shelter and then turned to Tanassov.

'Headmaster, any chance you have a Pensieve handy?'

* * *

The chatelaine Mrs. Klyutcharova brought one and put it in the middle of the table. Severus was impressed – it was an even more expensive model than the one Malfoy had, Durmstrang was doing pretty well financially to afford such stuff. His thoughts flew to the marble one Albus had used and he shook his head. Shacklebolt better be prepared to open the ministerial purse, it would be an embarrassment to have a reciprocal visit and have to show a marble basin to dip into. Aline put her wand to her temple but before she took out the memory she stopped and cautiously looked at the faces of the people around the table. She sighed somewhat relieved and asked: 'By any chance, does anyone of your colleagues have a small crescent mole on his left cheek?'

The goblet of wine Svilen the security boss was holding thudded on the polished table and some of the liquid spilled from it. It looked black under the candle light.


	21. Chapter 21 Is It not the Same?

_Alex the Kritikanzer's notes: __It will be my pleasure to know what you like and what you don't of what you have read up to now – if you will be so kind to share you thoughts with me. Whatever you have recognized as J. K. Rowling's or Notwolf's is very much theirs so I take neither credit nor blame for it. Have a wonderful day!_

_Alex the Kritikanzer's notes (2):_May be it is a weird coincidence, may be it is fate, you decide, but when I was about to put up this chapter in the cyberspace, I came across an article closely related to its heroes. A real one, a scientific research… I hope you will enjoy both. For the link you need to replace the point and slash with their equivalents "." and "/".

www point telegraph point co point uk slash news slash worldnews slash europe slash italy slash 725860 slash Golden-Bough-from-Roman-mythology-found-in-Italy point html

* * *

CHAPTER 21 – Is it not the same?

Blacky was really starving by the time they stopped next to a sheep farm high in the mountains. His two riders got down and knocked at the door. An old man opened a fraction holding a gun ready to shoot. Two wands trained at him sent a simultaneous hex and he hit the floor.

The younger man brought Blacky to the pen where he was met by the noisy barking of the three guardian dogs. He blew a long white flame in their direction – strong enough to keep them away but not intending to harm. The dogs retreated and the huge horse broke the door with one kick of his mighty hoof. The man tied his thin green rope at one of the stone pillars that served as gate support and went back to the house. The black horse knew the habits of his captors by then and the one thing he knew for sure what that they were unpredictable, but usually were quiet at night. Yet it was up to him to get his food and he better start as if something turned not as expected they may come and get started before he finished. He looked at the flock of well fed sheep. He hated them in their skins, but there was nobody to do the skinning for him, so he had to ever-roast and then do whatever was possible to get the charred material away and get some meat. He longed for some milk, he missed it, moms were always ready for him, they should be missing him also. He sniffed. There was a huge milk container in the nearby building, he would find the way to open it after that. Substance first. He blew a flame that roasted the entire flock in a minute and sent the dogs running. Teeth bared, Blackie set on the methodical task of tearing the skin and eating its contents. The meat smelled bad as the contents of the sheep were also inside. He remembered the nice big man that had given him a snack in the afternoon. His meat had been nice, the big guy took care of his animals. It would be nice to have him for a master as well instead of his captors. But the thin green rope was keeping him prisoner, he had to find out a way to get rid of it. Blacky left few sheep's carcasses for breakfast as he was already full. He walked to the barn and looked at the huge cistern with milk. It was a semi-transparent material that was easy to bite off so he chomped a corner and drank its content. It was delicious, although not as good as moms' and lulled him to sleep.

* * *

The Pensieve sprang to life. It was a vast dark cave and a short man was limping around a huge fire, pouring and hammering metal. He was so immersed in his work that almost did not hear the light steps of a beautiful young maiden coming. She was wearing precious little and carrying a bow and few arrows. His face lit when he saw her and he reached for a hug only to stop in mid gesture looking at his sooth-covered arms. 'Wait!' he smiled, went to the little brook at the corner and washed. He limped back to her and hugged the slim beauty in earnest. They were so different – she was athletic perfection and he was a pile of working muscles over distorted frame.

'You smell of grass and flowers and forest!'

'You smell like smelter as you are one. How about if we go to visit Thetis for a while and have a swim?'

'Great idea! Do you have few minutes though – I need to finish a spring. I have that faint feeling that my birth mother will be very impressed by it as well!'

The cave loomed again and the short man was bended over a ring on which he was mounting an exquisite bluish stone. Next to him on the table gleamed the full set which Severus recognized instantly. The head hand, the bracelet and the second ring were already ready and the garnets were glinting with the reflections from the heart flames. The man finished his work and smiled.

* * *

The scene changed to a majestic dining room where a bearded man was sitting on a throne-like chair. He was petting a huge golden eagle with a thunderbolt in his mighty claws and was obviously displeased with the short man standing in front of him.

'For what you did to your mother, you will have your punishment! You will marry that filth Venus. Not that most of the women around are any better, but you will not care, as you are not worth as a man anyway. At least she is coming from the pure blood of Ouranus and will give me some grandsons to speak of.'

'But I want to marry another girl!'

'I know you want to, but I did not say you would get it. You will either marry Venus or I will finish your Diane much more efficiently than your mother tried to finish you. Oh, it will not prevent you from frolicking around with her, but I am cursing you with the same curse my father awarded me – your official sons will be your pain and the illicit ones will be your joy, you and all your progeny will marry the woman you that is chosen for you and you would hate her for that while you pine for the woman you love.'

'No!'

'I had not finished, Smelter! Your sons will not be gods; they will be mortals as you have raised your hand at your mother!'

'She may have given birth to me, but she is not my mother! She tried to kill me as she hates me! Thetis is my mother!'

'Oh, but I have a lot in store for Thetis also, she will bury her own son in exchange for the stupidity of saving you. And I am warning you, if you have a bastard with that huntress, he will be cursed to serve his mother until his successor kills him and so on for eternity. Only a progeny of mine may let them free, but I doubt they will ever bother to do that! Now go and make a sickle to reap what you saw instead of that pathetic jewelry. Moonstone for Diane and garnet for Thetis and the fire she let you keep! You don't have even an imagination! Get out of here you unworthy thing!'

A thunder followed and the lightning hit the place where the short man has stood. The golden eagle screeched and flew away.

* * *

The cave was bathed in the light of a white hot flame through which a rainbow of colors flickered. The short man was hammering something. Sweat was covering his spine and one would expect to see in his mighty hands a weighty piece of metal. Instead of it on the anvil a tiny crescent was winking with the gleam of the full moon outside. He brought the shiny piece to the table set at the cave's entrance and sat down to scrape with it a long laurel branch. Patiently he made a small drop-like handle and attached it to the crescent. The blacksmith lifted the jewel and look at it. His face was a mask of torment. A long shadow fell on him and he smiled at his visitor.

'Is it for me?' the playful voice of the young maiden made him laughed.

'No, it is for me, but you will have to do the honors, my love! I spoke with Father today and he gave some orders that I don't intend to follow.' He retold her shortly the conversation. The maiden was pale but did not cry. The short man held her hands in his and smiled.

'He is not going to get it his way, don't worry. I value you more than that filthy thing called immortality and the life that I should be saddled with from tomorrow. I had a childhood with Thetis and I had your love that was worth more than he can count. It is time to go visit Charon and sniff the asphodels. But first things first.'

He pulled the set with moonstones and garnets and handed it to her.

'This was supposed to be our wedding attire, my love, but you should use it yourself. The ring is charmed for the real Smelter's love only to wear it or his wedded wife, otherwise it will not fit. I wish you all the blessings I hammered into it.'

'And you will be where at that time?'

'I told you, down there!' The short man took the crescent-shaped brooch and handed it to her. 'You know that I can die only if a god or a goddess kills me. I hope you will do it and will give me a kiss after.'

'No!'

'Why?'

'Because if you love me enough to die I love you enough to live under the conditions our bastard of a father awarded you. The words have been spoken and nobody can take them back. I am game to play by his rules. One day or another one of our brothers will free us. Father will find us in the netherworld if we disobey. But he had miscalculated; he let you go out of his sight.'

Diane took the head band and lifted Vulcan's curls to arrange them properly before securing them with the magnificent jewel. She took his hand and put the man's ring on his forth finger and kissed the stunned man. 'You wanted a kiss, so you got one, now if you please…' She put herself her ring and held her hand to him. He slid the bracelet.

'Are you sure?'

Diane kissed him again and he laughed, cradled her in his hard-working arms and brought her to his huge bed next to the fire. All the time before dawn belonged to them, so who cared about the time after?

* * *

The short man was holding in his arms a healthy baby boy who was looking at his father with his serious dark eyes.

'He has such a beautiful crescent on his cheek!' the man smiled at the glowing Diane.

'Ah, and I thought that there is no truth in the old wives' tale that if you touch something when you are scared and pregnant, the baby will have such mark on the place you touch first. Father was mad when I told him I am pregnant and threatened to strike me with a lightning "right into that crescent you wear in your hair", but Apollo came to the rescue and said he is the father. I tried to wipe a tear.'

'He is perfect as he is! Let it be like that forever! Are you moving with him to Lake Nemi?'

'Yes. I hate to part with you, but I think Father needs time to cool down and by the time I come back Venus would have given birth and he will be occupied with his official grandson.'

The little boy smiled and reached for the head band his father wore. The man laughed and gave it to him. He thought a little and gave his ring to the child as well.

'So our little rex Nemorensis will be fit like the king he is!'

'You are not afraid he may lose it?'

'No, my love, these four will find each other through the ages. I asked the Pythia when Father's curse would be lifted and she said 'The true love puts the ring on her finger and is given the bracelet, the ring and the headband and she breaks the curse!' The Pythia also said she sees a russet gold hair but she was not sure whether it was the colour of the maiden's hair or the reflection of the flame that burned next to her. I think she is talking about you and me at that night, you know.'

'So you should be giving me the ring and the head band instead of to Junior!'

'Is it not the same?'

'We will see, but now it is time to go, Venus is about to give birth.'

'How do you know that?'

'I am the goddess of childbirth, remember!' the woman laughed and kissed him, then put the toddler on her hip and disappeared into the woods.

* * *

The images over the Pensieve became a blur of younger men slaying elder men in many inventive ways starting with the ritual fighting in the woods and finishing with Agelastus poisoning his father's drink. Severus did not need Aline's help to remember where he had seen the brooch - it had been depicted on several portraits in Jack's formal sitting room. The Potion Master had changed places with Luna and was hugging his wife. Her face was still white and she had covered her eyes with her palms trying to ban the images that were dancing over the Pensieve. The stone in her ring was chalk white.

Tanassov stood up and left for a minute. He came back and put in front of Aline a small crystal glass where a spoonful of dark red liquid was reflecting the candles' flames. Severus tensed as the way the liquid moved was suggesting it is not a common cordial.


	22. Chapter 22 Three Drops! Maximum!

_Alex the Kritikanzer's notes: __It will be my pleasure to know what you like and what you don't of what you have read up to now – if you will be so kind to share you thoughts with me. Whatever you have recognized as J. K. Rowling's or Notwolf's is very much theirs so I take neither credit nor blame for it. Have a wonderful day!

* * *

_

CHAPTER 22 - Three drops, that is max!

'Don't worry Professor Snape, it is an Oblivion Wine and only a tiny dose. The gift your wife possesses surpasses in times what is ordinary and I should have been more cautious before allowing her to touch probable Dark Magic objects. Hogwarts does not teach this part of the curriculum. The chain of murders that we saw had become a tangle and it was not letting her get back to reality. These are ages of accumulated atrocities, all interrelated and the web is like a labyrinth. But here in Durmstrang we learn to recognize the signs and the incantation you heard was like the Ariadna's thread. If you have touched her it may have severed the link and Mrs. Snape may have been left wandering in it forever. I apologize again; my only excuse is that Mrs. Snape is an extremely powerful clairvoyant to be able to unlock the most ancient secrets of the sickle with such precision. As you see we all missed it. The Oblivion Wine will help her to forget the horror she had experienced there while trying to find her way out of it. It is not only her horror, but a sublimation of all women who had fought the curse, starting with Diane herself. It is too much for one person.'

Aline let her palms down and took the small glass. She upped it in one gulp and quietly put it back down. Snape and Tanassov exhaled simultaneously with relief. The stone on Aline's hand had turned sky blue again before their very eyes.

'Now the question is who was the last to see our Mr. Kovatchev and when!' Svilen's voice boomed over the table. The security chief pulled a tiny memory from his temple and threw it into the Pensieve. It was like a photo hanging over – and Severus cursed aloud. Apart from the crescent mole on his left cheek and the somewhat lighter shade of his hair, the man could be mistaken for Jack. He picked up a small piece of memory with his friend and threw it next to the one in the Pensieve. Now the one cursing under his breath was the security chief. Severus rummaged for an earlier memory of Agelastus and threw a piece of it in the basin also. There was no doubt where the similarity came from. Severus briefed the company about Horace's revelations from the previous night. A quick cross reference allowed the people around the table to establish that the conception of Kovatchev coincided with Agelastus' stay in Durmstrang however he had left before the boy had been born. His mother had been a veela who had completely uncharacteristically died at childbirth but have left stern instructions how to name the child. Danail Kovatchev had been raised by the elder veelas and had shown an almost mythical ability to craft metal. He had been a happy child, went to Durmstrang and graduated with honors. Subsequently he had won hands down the competition for the chair of Applied Metals Master and had occupied the huge laboratory where fire was never extinguished. Kovatchev, whose name meant "Smith" in Bulgarian, had been a soft-spoken, mild mannered man but it was rumored that even Karkaroff has been afraid to stand on his path.

'I thought that he started acting strangely at the same time we started having troubles around. He was making a fence for the chute and the Elder Forest but did not seem to progress at his usual pace. Should have paid more attention!' Svilen's mighty fist met his other palm with a smacking noise.

'He gave me the keys of the Smelter few days ago and said he was going to visit a long-lost relative somewhere in Britain before the school year starts. He said he spoke with you!' Mrs. Klyutcharova was looking at Tanassov.

'He did. There was no reason not to let him go, although I found it strange that he would go vacationing when we were raising an alert code and he had not finished his fence that he himself instigated. But he was due a vacation for ages, so not letting him go would not have been decent.' Tanassov turned to Severus. 'I am afraid that it explains the fact that the black horse had not yet eaten anyone, Danail is half veela, so Blacky will not attack him, he had been around the mares since he was born and knows how to handle the flesh-eater. I doubt he is acting on his own will though; it is not Danail that we know.'

'Imperiused?'

'I think so. But it still does not explain the eagles. Even riding Blacky he could not have done it and that Agelastus would not have had the time to do it then get to Britain back to poison his wife.'

Aline was frowning massaging her temple. Tanassov looked at her concerned. She shook her head.

'It is like a piece of something stuck inside and it hurts.'

The doctor drew his wand and lightly touched her temple, twisted and pulled like the wand had burned him. Aline cried sharply and he threw the tiny black drop hanging on his wand's tip into the Pensieve.

It was a picture of what Severus presumed was the Lower Earth. A huge eyrie was being stuffed with all kind of razors and blades by three ugly goblins. They did it methodically under the scared looks of two downy chicks. One of the goblins was holding a cauldron with greenish-gray brew and dipping the razors in it before handing them to his partners. When they finished their dirty job, the one with the cauldron smashed with it the only egg remaining in the eyrie and lifted the silencing charm that was covering the chicks before. The other goblin sliced them in few places to make them cry in anguish and relished in the whimper of the bleeding younglings. Then the cauldron- bearer sliced their heads and followed his partners in crime hastily into the rock where the eyrie was built. The creature had heard the mighty swish of father-eagle's wings and the battle cry and was hurrying. It did nod not see that a crescent-shaped object fell from his pocket.

A piercing cry came from the tiny ball Luna had forgotten she was holding. Mini had lost consciousness as she had just witnessed the slaying of her two brothers and the smashing of her own egg. Tanassov shook his head and ran somewhere, the elder Krum blew some air in her tiny beak and waited, gently massaging the downy ball. Tanassov brought a huge bottle of what now Severus and Aline recognized as Oblivion Wine.

'Three drops, that is max!' Krum cautioned his friend. He conjured a pipette and gently dropped the required amount down her throat. Krum quickly handed the chick back to Luna. She hugged it in time for Mini to open her black eyes.

'Go?'

The vet breathed a sigh of relief. 'Sure! Any chance you will share it with one very quick Headmaster who throws objects around without thinking?'

'Igor would have cut your head off for such a suggestion, my friend!'

'That is why I am not suggesting it to him, you are Tanassov, not Karkarroff. Forget the banter, we need a plan!'

'Well, it looks like the ball is in Professor Snape's court, so to speak. We can secure the cave, patrol the Elder Forest and sent a team to help him in whatever he decides to do. I am positive that the Dark Arts knowledge will do Hogwarts some good under the circumstances, no offense, Headmaster, but it had been neglected in Britain under your predecessor due to reasons entirely his own at the beginning. Otherwise Tom Riddle would have been apprehended before he reached that scale. Not that we were entirely successful with Gellert Grindelwald, but at least he ended up in Nurmengang, not slaying students on the school ground.'

"I will be glad to take whatever help you may offer! I will be glad if few professors decide to come and teach, on rotation base if needed, at Hogwarts. We will discuss it as soon as the danger is eliminated.'

'The more I see of you, Professor Snape, the more I like you! That is a very Durmstrang way of thinking!' Svilen boomed as if paying Severus an ultimate complement. From a man holding him captive less than two hours ago, it probably was.

'Any chance you may guess why Professor MacGonagall insisted that I have to keep my evening free of appointments for today? It is August 23rd, I can't think of a special reason.' Severus was feeling the waves of support coming despite of the mental blocks still carefully guarded.

'You may need to beef up also your Classic education at Hogwarts!' smirked the man who had been introduced as Mr. Hristov, the Classic Antiquity Magic Creatures teacher. 'August 23rd is the Vulcanalia, celebrated with bonfires in god Vulcan the Mulciber's honor. The lore is that the god himself had chosen the date over the night of full moon when he had been the happiest in his life. After today we know why, I think. Once upon a time Vulcanalia was celebrated with human sacrifice but it was later replaced with different animals, even fish. My theory was that the replacement angered him a lot – hence the Great Fire in Rome, the Etna and so on. Vulcan grew among fish, he would not accept it.'

'I hope that Agelastus is not looking for burning Blacky as an offering! If he even tries, I will crisp him personally!' Victor's father was clenching his teeth.

'The night is growing old!' Tanassov said. 'I suggest that we all get some sleep, then I will pack and go with Krum to get Danail and Blacky back and see how we can help Hogwarts in this battle. Svilen, you are in charge while I am away. Mrs. Klyutcharova, please make a replica of everything we saw tonight in the Pensieve for Professor Snape, I believe there are people in Britain who would like to see it – or rather need to see it. Mrs. Klyutcharova, I want to have a look around the Smelter before I go, say, quarter to eight. We are leaving at nine in the morning and I will be available for an hour before that for any current events to be discussed.'

'Are we taking Mini with us?' Luna was holding her charge to have another bowl of soup.

'No, we are leaving her with Vukosava! At least she can feed her to her heart's content!'

The people around the table laughed. They knew their Healer.


	23. Chapter 23 The Important Things in Life

_Alex the Kritikanzer's notes: __It will be my pleasure to know what you like and what you don't of what you have read up to now – if you will be so kind to share you thoughts with me. Whatever you have recognized as J. K. Rowling's or Notwolf's is very much theirs so I take neither credit nor blame for it. Have a wonderful day!

* * *

_

CHAPTER 23 – The Important Things in Life

Danail was sitting across his newly discovered father and was bored to death. It had been hours and hours of talk about the illustrious past of Mulcibers, if one could count the constant patricides illustrious events. Unhappy marriages, hated kids and beloved bastards, conquests to reach this and that, for the cycle to start again with the next generation. The smith had gotten that he had been Imperiused when Blacky had snuffed at him in the yard and avoided his hand. His thick head, a heritage from his mom known as the most stubborn a veela to be born, had cleared enough for him to apply his Dark Arts knowledge and lift the spell. But he wanted to be sure of Agelastus' intentions before he acted. They were far from a wizarding community and he needed Aurors to apprehend his father. The man was rather powerful and rather dangerous to be taken alone. Danail was more or less confident that he could kill him, but it would only serve for the cycle to start again. He needed help. Blacky was too young to find the way home and bring someone. Danail had to play the waiting game.

'But this time I intend to break the curse!' Agelastus proclaimed and his son feared that he had given himself up, so close the correspondence of thoughts had been. He held his breath until the elder man continued.

'Today I will show you how I will change it. We are going back to Hogwarts! You will be proud of me as I am proud of you, my son!'

That was not good. The old fox had thought up of something to reverse a curse working for thousands of years and was sure in the outcome. There was something in that Hogwarts that he should not let his father put a hand on. Danail wished he had been a better student at Foreign Witches and Wizards Genealogy. There may have been something that Hristov had told and he had missed about which bloodline was responsible for what, artifacts, etc. It was late and he politely covered his yawn with his palm.

'Sure, I forgot about the time difference. You are probably not accustomed yet. But don't worry, we have plenty of time to get up and go; we should be at Hogwarts at least around ten, after that dolt Hagrid finishes feeding the Thestrals.'

Well, that was one, his father wanted Thestral hair for the wands Danail was supposed to make for the fictional army that would conquer the world. Of course, Father would preside not merely with a wand; he would have a thunderbolt, like his ancestor who had first cursed his son. What a megalomaniac, Danail thought, he had had everything and then some in double, a home, a fortune, a wife who probably had loved him, a son and two daughters, fame, beauty, education. But not, he had been craving more. The fairytale about the bone from a human eye was right; it was just the soil that covered it that had the power to stop that. Danail remembered his own childhood, the simple life in Zmeyovo, the care and love he had been surrounded with despite being an orphan. He had been rich with so much. He had to protect that all from the monster across. Danail smiled and said reverently, "I am looking for it Father! I wish you good night. I will go and check the horse if it is properly tied. We will need our transport!'

Agelastus glowed at him. 'You know the important things in life, son, I am proud of you!'

* * *

He had to think of a name at Hogwarts and fast, as the tiny barn owl was his last chance. Unfortunately the only name coming to his mind was Dumbledore and he was dead. Dead people were not writing letters nor receiving them. Danail had kept most to his blacksmith shop and had never had a taste for gossip about the current affairs of the fellow school. Tanassov had mentioned the name of the new Headmaster and the fact that he was going to his wedding, but it had evaporated from Daniel's mind. He searched his memories. Yes! Before departing for Triwizards Tournament Karkaroff had mentioned that the dragons were a passion for the giant Grounds Keeper, Hagrid! Hopefully he had survived the war, he should have, he was the one that had carried out Harry Potter from the Enchanted Forest. If luck was with him, he would be around his animals, Krum was never going on vacations longer than a day either. Danail picked up a twig and held it in front of Blacky.

'Blow, my dear, we are going home tomorrow!'

The horse sensed the change. It whinnied and blew a little flame enough to turn the end of the twig into a black coal. Danail quickly scribed his message on the piece of sheep skin and tied it with a horse hair to the barn owl's leg.

'Go to Hagrid at Hogwarts, oh, you owl of Minerva!'

The little chick looked at him confused but flew away.

* * *

Severus secured the memory vials in his pocket. Aline hugged Luna and joined her husband in the huge fireplace in Tanassov's private office. A flash of green signaled their departure. The Headmaster warded the floo back and smiled at Luna.

'Finally I am alone with you!'

'Not exactly', the witch smiled, scratching Mini's head. 'We have to put her somewhere warm and cozy and dark.'

'I have the exact place in mind, but was saving it for you!' The doctor's eyes threw flames not worse than his horses blew them.

'I will take what is left.'

'Come!'

A swish of his wand opened a door which was not on the wall a moment before.

'A Room of Requirement?' Luna looked at him.

'You may say so. After I became a Headmaster, I redecorated the official suite and put this one in for my own pleasure. But I have never used it, it may be somewhat dusty.'

The huge room was similar to his living quarters in its austerity. But the few objects in the room were lavish beyond description. The huge bed was hung from the ceiling on wrought-iron chains. Its plump mattress was covered in black silk and a rainbow of silk pillows was strewn on it. The room was pleasantly warm but no heater was visible. That made even more prominent the marble pool where two open shells were pouring scented water which bubbled in small whirlpools. The only other furniture was a liquor cabinet made of dark wood. Its mullioned doors allowed for few glasses and a whole battery of different bottles to be seen.

'The drawer is lined with a self-serving cloth, so we will not starve!' Tanassov whispered in Luna's ear.

'So you put that entire splendor for few years only? And spent one not using it?'

'No. In Durmstrang the Headmaster's office is not elective, or rather it is elective but for life. And you may have guessed that my lifespan is different from the lifespan of my colleagues, same as yours is different from your classmates. If I am not killed which is possible but hard, I may well manage this establishment for the next three hundred years. That is the main reason I did not want to be involved with anyone. It would not be fair to them. But when I met you, I knew you are the same as me. Now I have to convince you to stay.'

'Black silk is heavy artillery. One moment!' Luna pulled her wand and conjured a pen lined with soft pillow. She put Mini gently in it and the little one immediately opened one sleepy eye. 'Ga?'

'No, no!' smiled the doctor and threw his black shirt on top of the pen. 'Sleep, sleep, at least for you!'

He turned to see the completely naked Luna descending into the pool. She was a veela, after all, they were the water nymphs, he had calculated that right! Tanassov discarded the rest of his clothing and joined her there.

* * *

The tiny owl was flying slower and slower. It was a little bit more than a baby and the sheep skin was heavy despite the best efforts the man had put to scrape it. So it arrived at Hogwarts Great Hall after the other owls had already departed. The few people who were heaving breakfast did not pay attention to its chirping but it instinctively knew who Hagrid was. The owl tried to land on the table but the giant shook his head at that moment and the bird got tangled in his mighty beard. A woman next to him laughed and the Grounds Keeper looked at her.

'Did I drop some eggs on my front?'

She laughed again and the bald man on Hagrid's other side laughed with her. 'Even if you did, it was long ago and they have hatched! Stay still!'

Horace Slughorn extracted the exhausted bird and frowned at the package he untied from its leg. It was tied with a horse hair and the message on it was smudged. Minerva looked at it and pulled her wand. 'Reparo!'

The words came out clear this time. 'Guard the Elder Wand and Thestrals after 10!'

'So what is new?' Hagrid was irked.

'The time, for one! And the fact that whoever he is, Agelastus' companion is on our side! When is Severus coming back?'

'He is here since early morning, but he better has his beauty sleep. He wanted us all at the Headmaster's office at nine. I already sent owls with the summons.'

'You mean invitations…'

'Horace, if I said "summons" that is what I meant. The only one invited was Neville, but he is here anyway, planting something around Albus' tomb.'

'Strange time to go gardening, don't you think?'

'No. He is not planting pansies, you may rest assured. When I met him, he was carrying something he calls "Alecto Dolores" and everyone is heartily discouraged to pluck it. Hagrid, let us go and plant some more mouse traps around the Thestrals, we need time to play cat and mouse and he needs to lower his caution.'

'Coming, coming, just few more crumbs in this little beak. Do you think I can keep her?'

'She does not breathe fire Hagrid! We may look for some other birds for you!' Minerva was pensive.


	24. Chapter 24 Small Conspiracies

_Alex the Kritikanzer's notes: __It will be my pleasure to know what you like and what you don't of what you have read up to now – if you will be so kind to share you thoughts with me. Whatever you have recognized as J. K. Rowling's or Notwolf's is very much theirs so I take neither credit nor blame for it. Have a wonderful day!

* * *

_

CHAPTER 24 – The Small Conspiracies

The old shepherd had survived a war injury and his head was proverbially sturdy after that. The hexes had hit a shrapnel fragment and he was slowly coming to his senses. The waft of burnt flesh reminded him of the bombs scorching his fellow soldiers and he was back on the beach of Normandy. Just like then he thought that he has to fight to stay alive and revenge the boys. He opened his eyes a fraction and saw the two intruders preparing to leave. Very slowly he lifted his loaded gun and aimed at the elder one. His shot was fairly accurate and broke the man's leg into splinters. The younger one turned and yelled "Petrificus totalis!" before he managed to fire the second shot. The gun clattered at the wooden floor.

* * *

'Father let me first put you out and heal the wound and I will go back and finish the shooter!' Danail said, supporting Agelastus. Damn the old man's aim, he could have been more accurate at least! Agelastus had already stopped the bleeding and was working the incantations to repair the bones. Danail thought that he better be quick or his father may decide to go finish the old man himself. He run back in and put a silencing charm around himself and the guy on the floor. He lifted gently his head and sang some quick incantations to ease the pain from the hexes. The smith took the gnarled hand and said quietly, 'I am sorry, I was not myself yesterday. Here is some money to pay for the damage. The bind will fell in around a minute but promise me that you will not stand up before you are sure we have departed. Now you have to make a really passable yell of pain when I blast, OK?'

The old man shook his head and smiled, 'Come back sonny, I want to talk!'

'We will see how it turns! Now remember the yell!'

Danail stood up, removed the silencing charm and pointed his wand.

'Avada kedavra!'

The old man yelled agonizingly and a vase disintegrated in fine dust. He grinned as he had always hated that particular yellow and blue pattern but it had been a present from a friend he did not want to insult, so he had kept it. The young man winked at him and left hurriedly.

'Damn the bastard, it will take at least a day to heal properly! He should have been roasted on a bonfire!' Agelastus was limping leaning on Danail's hand. He mounted Blacky with visible difficulty and Danail jumped immediately behind him worrying that the man might incinerate the place of sheer spite. The pen was still fuming after the horse had cooked its own dinner.

* * *

'You brought the Pensieve?' Severus hissed in Lucius' ear.

'A small conspiracy, Headmaster?' Minister Shacklebolt was closer to them than anyone.

'Sure, Minister, trying to avoid international embarrassment,' Lucius retorted. 'Severus asked to borrow my private property in order for the Headmaster of Durmstrang not to die of laughing when he sees the Pensieve his Hogwarts colleague is supposed to use. It does have undisputable historic significance, but compared to what Tanassov has at his disposal it is like a home-made kiddy's broom compared to Nimbus 2000. I believe the Ministry will be eager to provide the means to buy something contemporary for me not to be caught lugging my own one every time some dignitary needs to see a memory. By the way, if I remember correctly, and I am sure I do, not further than last year I donated a hefty sum exactly for that, may be it is time to make a joint audit of how the funds were spent.'

'It is only understandable that you mistrust the Ministry, Mr. Malfoy, but rest assured that it is not founded.'

'I don't rest and as far as 'funded' goes I will be verifying!'

The meeting was moved to the Great Hall to avoid the constant questions from the portraits. The exchange of information was brief and to the point, Glenna weeping openly at the end of Aline's memory about the sickle. Minerva reported about the damage to her legion of mouse traps and that she and Hagrid had added additional circles of them to slow down the intruder. Then the schoolmarm straightened her spine and asked the small gathering to lay in ambush around the bonfire that she was going to attend seemingly alone. Minerva asked for them not to intrude on her plans no matter how bizarre they may seem to them. She assured the people around the table that if everything would go as planned they would have a reason to celebrate. Horace showed the sheep skin to the great delight of Tanassov and Krum, who were sure that Danail had somehow managed to get rid of his "Imperius".

It was Harry who broke the mood with his question hurled at Severus, "And who will be watching Professor's Dumbledore tomb in the meantime? The Elder Wand is still there!'

'Mr. Potter, have you ever considered destroying the wand in question?' quietly asked Tanassov.

'Why? I won it fair and square! It is mine and I will do with it whatever I deem proper!' There was defiance in Harry's voice. 'It was Professor Dumbledore's before! It cost him so much time and efforts to obtain it!'

'But you are prisoner of that wand as much as you own it, I believe you understand that.' Tanassov's voice was deceptively soft.

'No, I am not. I put it where it is, so I am the one in control.'

'No Harry, Dr. Tanassov is right. You are here now because the wand is in danger and you are in danger because of it, and so will be the students when the school year starts.' It was Neville.

Harry drew his wand and pointed it at the Griffindor.' You want to say that I am endangering the place for which I was almost killed when I was defending it? How you dare! I thought of you as of a friend, Neville!'

'I am your friend Harry and remember what Professor Dumbledore said in this very hall, it takes more courage to stand to our friends than to our enemies!'

'So stand than!' Harry hissed and sent a leg-binding curse to the young man before anyone could stop him.

He underestimated Neville. Before the curse was halfway through the table, Neville's wand blocked it and his 'Expelliarmus!' sent Harry's wand flying to Neville's other hand.

'Fair and square, the wand is mine now, isn't it?' Before anyone of the stunned group could blink Neville had bolted out of the window.

'He is flying! Sweet Merlin, he is flying!' cried his grandmother not trusting her eyes.

'I know only one person who could fly without anything on his own accord.' Horace Slughorn was desperately trying to stop the tremor in his hands.

'Tom Riddle also known as Lord Voldemort!' Victor's father had already standing with his wand in hand. Part of the wizards followed suit.

'No, that is Neville!' cried Luna. 'Wait!'

'We should wait for him to come and slaughter us as he is only Neville? You stupid …' Draco yelled at her. Tanassov's wand was already lifting his chin before he finished his insult.

'I would consider that a slip of the traditional British gentleman's behavior explainable by the fear Professor Slughorn talked about and it will be forgotten if the lady in question accepts your sincere apology, Mr. Malfoy!'

'I am ssorry Luna!'

'Apology accepted. Neville, you could have said something before jumping like a Remembral!'

For the time of the mini-altercation Neville had returned unnoticed. He handed Harry his old wand. 'Friends?'

The withering look of the Boy-Who-Lived spoke volumes. He drew his cloak around himself and looked sullenly at Snape. 'I suspect that now you will gladly accept my resignation effective immediately. I have accepted the Auror's position that Minister Shacklebolt had offered me earlier today. I think I will spend my time better in a preparation for the new challenges that await me.'

'Mr. Potter ….'

'No need to keep an eye on me, Mr. Longbottom has the wand now. Enjoy your day, ladies and gentlemen!'

'Harry! Wait! I am coming to the Burrow with you!' Molly nodded at Severus and left whispering something furious to the boy she counted among her sons.

* * *

Aline was looking at Neville's hands. They were covered with deep scratches but the boy was looking radiant. 'Will some salve make it better?' the Potion Mistress accio-d her tiny repair kit and pulled a round jar with sweet smelling balm. Neville nodded. Aline put a blob of the pale yellow salve and inadvertently touched the young man's hand. Years of training allowed her not to cry at the picture of a little boy staring at the bed of a young woman in a hospital gown, who was offering him a bubble gum wrap. "Thanks Mum!" the little boy said with a tiny shred of hope. The woman looked at him with eyes that were not seeing her son as they were full of terror. Augusta Longbottom's voice urged the boy to throw the gum wrapper but he slid it in his pocket. Before that he had a glimpse at the little square. Even distorted by the tears in his eyes, a maze could be seen, simple enough for a child to solve. Aline swallowed and felt the same tiny pain that she had experienced at Durmstrang hammering at her temple. She had to talk to Tanassov about it.


	25. Chapter 25 The Bonfire

_Alex the Kritikanzer's notes: __It will be my pleasure to know what you like and what you don't of what you have read up to now – if you will be so kind to share you thoughts with me. Whatever you have recognized as J. K. Rowling's or Notwolf's is very much theirs so I take neither credit nor blame for it. Have a wonderful day!

* * *

_

CHAPTER 25 – The Bonfire

The wizards spent the afternoon quietly reinforcing the castle defenses, putting anti-inflaming charms on the walls and warding the entrances. They were all disguised as seasonal workers and the few students that were lingering around the school did not pay them any attention. Hagrid went to feed the visibly nervous Thestrals and made a show of checking the mouse traps, loudly cursing the unreliable students' charms that had converted the former teapots and candlesticks back to their original state. His booming voice carried along the grounds when he discussed with Minerva her strange desire to make a solo picnic at twilight but the Grounds Keeper promised to bring her few dry branches for that.

* * *

Minerva was dressing up in front of her mirror. She carefully braided her hair in a style that had been forgotten for almost sixty years. She had charmed it to be the same russet gold as in her school days the previous day. The old witch put her glamorous bright green silk robe that she had not worn since that faithful Yule Ball. It did her heart a lot of good to find that her efforts to keep her figure were paying off, the robe fitting like painted on her. Despite the heavy embroidery and the luscious amount of material it was not confining her movements. She put on the bracelet and the moonstone ring, then slid Diane Mulciber's wedding band in her pocket. Minerva took a flask of wine and poured Severus' potion into it. The schoolmarm put the flask and a goblet identical to the one that Mulciber had used to poison Jacintha in her small bag and added there a plate of finely sliced Swiss cheese. Before she left for her picnic, she carefully sprayed the contents of the second vial all over her hair and robes. The room filled with the sweet vanilla aroma and she went to open the windows. The full moon was already getting high and the hour of twilight was almost there.

* * *

Few shadows slipped from Hogwarts and blended with the scenery. Two gigantic shadows left the Astronomical tower in a silent glide and disappeared into the Forbidden Forest.

* * *

The Transfiguration professor stood in front of the huge pile of wood that Hagrid had supplied. She was not even nervous, she realized, it had been so long and yet it was like yesterday. Minerva made a quick movement with her hand and the fire loomed instantly. The old woman sat on one of the huge logs close to the flames, put her plate with cheese on the next log, poured herself a goblet of wine and waited sipping the red liquid.

She was an impressive picture after all those years, Agelastus thought. He had left his son to clear up the remaining mouse traps and had unsuccessfully tried to open Albus' tomb. The blasted vine had torn into his hands and the more he sliced it the more it grew, until in his frustration he had whacked the marble with a simple lariat and hissed. The Elder Wand had not been at its place and all his painful scratches were in vain. Then he had looked at the setting sun and remembered the yell of Hagrid the oaf about Minerva's picnic. That was the best chance to meet her alone; he would not need to fly over to her window like a dumb fairytale hero. He was going to propose and she was going to accept and they would finally be what he had always dreamt of being. The curse would vanish, he would proclaim Danail his heir as his firstborn; announce his marriage to Diane null and void based on his previous marriage to Agape, Danail's mother. The slimy Jack would have to work for his bread, that unworthy piece of nothing. Then they will conquer the world together, him and her, as she was the mightiest witch that he had ever met. He adjusted his headband and touched his ring for good luck before he entered the circle around the fire.

Minerva stood up to meet him. She was not afraid, he thought, that was his Minerva.

'Good evening! Are you glad to see me again?'

'You look splendid as ever, Gell-O!'

'It is Lewis now, Rynie! Nothing had changed; you have not changed at all!'

He reached to hug her and sniffed her hair. 'You still favour vanilla, I can't get enough of this smell, it is so much like you!'

'Why don't you sit with me over a glass of wine before you dash somewhere as you always did? Where is the goblet I gave you?'

'Well, it is a long story, but it got misplaced two days ago, although I hope to retrieve it by tomorrow. May be you will allow me a sip from yours?'

'You can finish it, I think I had enough and my head will start spinning!' Minerva handed him her chalice. He sniffed the wine and smiled, 'Sweet vanilla, do you put it in everything these days?' He upped the contents in few sips and gobbled a piece of cheese. 'At least the fine cheese is fine for you without it.'

'Ever the charmer, aren't you?'

'Yes, my dear, but now your head is going to spin for quite a different reason!'

'Can't wait to hear why. Last time my head spun was when you told me you are going to marry Diane!'

'No need to pout! You know that I am a free man now! I wish I could propose with the ring that is appropriate, but I could not retrieve it at the funeral. Jack did not give it to me. So I would use mine for the ceremony and get you a proper band after that.' The man pulled his moonstone ring and slid it on her right fourth finger without waiting for her answer.

'He could not, as I got it.' Minerva lifted her left hand to show both the ring and the bracelet. She pulled the ring and handed it to Agelastus. 'Yet I would prefer if you put it on my finger!'

'Your wish is my command!' he slid the ring at the place it had come from.

'You look like the Queen of the World, you are just missing the crown!' he exclaimed ecstatic. Minerva silently pointed at his head band. Algelastus laughed happily and took it off, then let her curls flow free and secured them with the band. The moon chose that particular moment to shine behind a cloud and the group hiding in the nearby greenery gaped. Minerva MacGonagall looked like a young maiden with a glowing crown of moonstones shining over her russet gold curls. She smiled a heart-wrenching smile.

'The baubles are nice but how do I know that it is you and not a Polijuiced stranger? The real Agelastus would remember what we used to play…' Her voice was almost a purr, low and seductive. She held his hands in her and he laughed again, the free young laughter of the man he had been or rather could have been with her. He said, 'Like the last time, on the count of three! One, two, three!'

* * *

Minerva MacGonagall was an expert Transfiguration teacher. However on the count of three she was still a woman dangling a mouse on her front legs. She did not laugh, she did not cry, she did not say a word before throwing the little critter into the flames. It wiggled and somehow managed to escape and run away like a burning ball on the other side of the bonfire only to be met by the hissing white flame that the Mother-eagle blew at him. That was the end of Agelastus Stolo Mulciber and his two sons were there to witness it. Sybil Trelawnew would have been thrilled that she had made three accurate prophecies instead of two – Gell-O was killed by the only woman to whom he had been bound by love within the five minutes after she had taken off his ring.

* * *

The old teacher swayed and Neville was instantly at her site. He threw into the fire the broken Elder Wand and for few seconds everyone watched with horror the figure of a black-clad emaciated man dancing over the flames before burning into it with a huge shoot of golden and silver sparks that seemed to reach the full moon hanging above.

Jack and Danail carried together the witch to the Grand Hall. Aline held the cup of antidote to her lips and Luna scourgify her hair and green robes from any remnants of vanilla scent. Hagrid run from his hut after the two Headmasters extinguished the last burning piece and powdered it to tiny black particles. Father-eagle used his mighty wings to disperse them towards the Forbidden Forest before joining the group around the old teacher. Even Lucius and Draco were unnaturally silent sitting next to Arthur Weasley. Horace Slughorn had slumped at the end of the table and Augusta was clutching his hand. Only Neville was sitting across the table from Minerva and smiling.

Minerva's eyelids fluttered and she looked at the group huddled around her. Neville brought her a glass of water and steadied her hand around it. She smiled her appreciation, the glass winked in the moonlight and she drank it all. Then she sat straight and said, 'Of all of you, it is Neville who understood it first. It is a relief, not sadness, but relief can be overwhelming as grief and that is how it was. Two days ago I asked you to be discreet as you knew only part of the story. It is time the second part to be told. I will apologize to Horace and Augusta as they are in for a surprise as well.

It started before I came to Hogwarts and well before Hogwarts was even established. If you remember, Mulciber was cursed with the same curse his father was subject to. So for ages the man who threw thunderbolts agonized over his legal heirs and sired illegal children on a whim. He hated his wife and she repaid him with tormenting his lovers. It is probably impossible to find out how many children he had – some were known and some were well hidden from the woman who tried to kill her own child. But most of them knew their heritage.

It is mind-boggling how Fate mixes the lines of our lives. As it was customary for the almost officially recognized bastards, a man had inherited a fraction of his ancestor's name. Jupither Fulgurator shortened the "thunderbolt" to only "bolt" for his son and his progeny used that. You know that Grindelwald means "bolt". What you probably don't know is that Gellert had a sister, a younger copy of himself, happy and beautiful girl. Eumenica loved dances and singing and her elder brother. So when Albus' sister was killed, Gellert flew not because he was afraid for himself. He feared that his grieving friend would go after the only person he held dear ever – his little sister. He begged her to go into hiding and never to approach him. He was ready to suffer not seeing her again in order to prevent Albus from harming the sunny child. He knew his friend was a powerful wizard. By that time he knew that compassion was not his strong side. She loved him enough to follow his advice.'

You might have guessed the rest. The russet-gold beauty came to a remote Scottish village and fell in love with an ancient wizard under the name of McGonagall. She married him but remained mum about her origin in fear that he would somehow try to arrange reconciliation with her brother and blow her cover. She gave birth to me and just before I came to Hogwarts she told me the entire story. My mother was still alive at the time Agelastus proposed and I followed her suit and kept mum about being pureblood as it would have exposed Mother. You know the rest. Yeah, my middle name is Eriny and I was born to avenge the patricide. I knew I would be able to lift the Mulciber's curse, but I wanted to do it in love, not hate. It did not work for us but Jack and Danail, you are free. Your mothers named you properly. Danail was born first and his name means "God is my judge!". Jack is the second and his name means "God is gracious!" So it all came a full circle – with your help Agelastus was judged and graciously sent into the netherworld for what he had done, but neither of you did that, so the curse ends here. I have liberated you from it.'

'Minerva, are you sure you are not biting more than you could chew? It is all very nice a story but a little bit hard to believe!' Horace Slughorn was looking speculatively at his colleague. 'You a niece of Grindelwald? Direct descendant of Jupither? You could be a little less lofty, I think and still do the job, for which we all are very grateful, of course!'

Minerva laughed. 'So you want a proof, Doubting Horace? How about that?'

The schoolmarm turned to the mother-eagle. 'Lyra, where is my thunderbolt?'

The eagle screeched something and father-eagle flew to the woman holding something sparkling in his claws. Horace's eyes grew huge. Minerva was holding a lightning. She aimed and stroke.


	26. Chapter 26 The Latin Grammar

_Alex the Kritikanzer's notes: __It will be my pleasure to know what you like and what you don't of what you have read up to now – if you will be so kind to share you thoughts with me. Whatever you have recognized as J. K. Rowling's or Notwolf's is very much theirs so I take neither credit nor blame for it. Have a wonderful day!_

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CHAPTER 26 – The Latin Grammar

The chalice in front of her turned into a puddle of gold and burned a hole in the table. Professor McGonagall shrugged her shoulders. Neville pulled his wand and transfigured the puddle into a filigree circular box of astonishing beauty still smiling at his professor. She took off the head band, the bracelet and the two rings, boxed them and handed the set to Danail. 'They are yours!'

'No, thank you! They are Jack's for all the suffering he had endured. I was spared that and I am happy being Kovatchev. But any time you would like to show me how to control a thunderbolt with such precision, I will fly to the other end of the world to learn under you.' Danail passed the box to Jack.

'You are elder, you should take it!'

'So from the newly forged authority of an older brother I am telling you that you are getting it. Imagine what your gransmother's portrait will say if you show without it!'

'Oh, my! Daddy, you better take it!' exclaimed Jacintha and burst laughing. Her uncle was the first to join her.

* * *

'You are the host here, call for some food, I am starving!' Lucius kicked Severus under the table. 'When I was a student here I was first fed stories and then something substantial, nothing had changed, I see!'

'But the food has improved, I can assure you!' Severus clapped hands and the table was covered for a feast. He cleared his throat. 'I believe we can enjoy this supper and get to know each other better!'

Aline was sitting next to Tanassov and quietly retelling him the story of Neville's parents. She mentioned the temple throb and the doctor frowned. He asked her to go with him to the Pensieve that Lucius had brought and just like in Durmstrang he pulled out of her temple a tiny drop and threw it in the device. The picture froze on the maze blurred by Neville's tears.

'And they were never treated for that?'

'As far as I know they were but without any results.'

'You must be joking!'

'I assure you I am not!'

'Neville is of age, right? So he can give consent to treatment?'

'Yes!'

'Let's go then!'

'But don't you want to attend the feast first?'

'We may still get back for the deserts! I will just have to get…'

'Here it is!' Luna was smiling and handing him his doctor's handbag. Neville stood next to her. 'Go, we will cover the front!'

Tanassov bended and kissed her soundly on the lips. Neville took his hand and flew into the open window.

* * *

'Mr. Longbottom, what an unusual time to visit your parents!' The reproach was evident in the voice of the Head Healer at the Janus Thickey Ward.

'There is never a good time, is it? Let me introduce you to Dr. Tanassov, the Headmaster of Durmstrang. I want him to have a look at my parents' medical history.'

'We always appreciate a foreign consultation but the documentation is partially in Latin, I will arrange for it to be translated and sent to Dr. Tanassov.'

'I appreciate your concern, but I am fairly well versed in Latin.' Dimitar was feeling the first licks of anger. The Healer was stalking and it was evident. 'Would you mind bringing the volumes, please!'

'I need consent of a relative to do that.'

'That is why I am here. I will appreciate it being done somewhat faster.' Neville was his soft-spoken self but Tanassov has seen the faint red on his ears. The adrenaline had started coursing through his system as well.

'If you insist, of course, but in case your doctor starts some obscure healing practices, I am washing my hands of all responsibility, let me be clear about it!'

The healer turned and left. He returned a minute later carrying a thin folder and practically shoved it in Tanassov's hands.

'That is it!'

'Excuse me? This folder contains around ten sheets. I asked for the medical history! You know, evaluations, blood tests, potion diagrams, neurological scans. You could not have stuffed all that on ten sheets. '

'We don't need to draw our patients' blood to know that they are insane, like some barbaric schools may have taught you!' the healer's lofty voice carried along the corridor. 'The Longbottoms are given Calming Draught and kept comfortable for their condition. You will find the potion formula inside and I will be in my office in case you need help with reading it!' The healer turned and made few steps before Neville's wand shot at him a 'Petificus totalis!' with such vehemence that the man fell to the ground. Neville did not pay attention to his bleeding nose. He looked at Tanassov with eyes full of tears.

'So they were not treated at all! Ever! They were kept comfortable!' He almost spat the last word.

Tanassov nodded. Most out of habit his wand did a small circle to stop the healer from bleeding to death, but he did not lift the petrificus. 'Do you know where your parents are held? Let us go!'

Neville drew a long calming breath and warded the yard's door first.

* * *

Tanassov intoned something long and complicated. Neville was holding her hands and was afraid to blink as if it may break the spell. She was trembling but her clutch on Neville's hand strengthened. The doctor's voice was low and high, ringing or dull at moments, but the tremble intensified as if the woman was trying to break invisible bounds. Her eyes were trained on something that she only could see and there was a new flame in them, a determination that grew. Suddenly Tanassov's wand hit a small silver bell that he was holding in his left hand. The sound was like a door opening and Alice jumped startled.

She looked at her son and could not believe her eyes.

'Neville? When did you managed to grow? We left you the day before with Gran! What did she feed you, a Growing Potion?' She ruffled his hair. 'Where is Frank? Where are we?'

'Mum!' he clutched her, tears streaming. 'Mum!'

The terror seemed to wash back at her and Tanassov quickly held the full glass of Oblivion Wine to her lips. 'Drink, Mrs. Longbottom, drink fast!' She shook her head in mute refusal.

Nevilled wiped his tears and took the glass from the doctor. "Mum, do it for me, please!'

Cautiously Alice drank and with each sip she relaxed a little bit. Tanassov was mixing something in another vial as quick as he could, then handed it to Neville. 'This one also, I will explain later!' Alice frowned at the second cup.

'It is bitter!'

'Mum, please!'

She drank it in full and looked at her son. Her eyes were clear. 'You will have to do a lot of talking, Neville, but I suspect we have to take care of Dad first. Will you please introduce me to the gentleman who will definitely not make a fortune as a barman?'

Tanassov chuckled. He definitely liked Neville's mom.

'Genuinely pleased to meet you. Mrs. Longbottom, my name is Dimitar Tanassov and as you mentioned, my abysmal bartending performance precluded such a choice of a career so I became a doctor. We need to hurry up though; the healer we met will have a very flat face otherwise. Let us wake Mr. Longbottom. It should be easier, now that both of you can help him through the maze.' Tanassov poured another full glass of Oblivion Wine and aligned a battery of small vials next to it.

The silver bell rang again and Frank Longbottom looked at his wife. 'Grab Neville and let us go!' he said without preamble. She held the glass to his lips and instructed, 'Drink this first!' He gulped it. 'Let's go now!' 'This is the last one, Dad!' Neville was holding another vial. Frank drunk it and looked at them again. 'Any chance you have something to eat as this tastes awful?'

'May be it is time to go back to the feast, Neville?' Tanassov was laughing and putting the empty vials in his big black bag.

'And you would be?' Frank Longbottom was wincing. He did not recognize the man who was so familiar with his son.

'Frank, I already insulted him enough! This is Dr. Tanassov and there is a whole lot we don't know, but we better get out of here first!' Alice was hugging both her husband and son as if she would never let them go. 'Neville, do you have a wand?'

She quickly transformed their hospital robes into unobtrusive grey ones.

'One moment, Mum, this is a little bit outdated!' Neville took his wand back and corrected the details. He turned to Tanassov. 'I am going to tackle the Healer but first I want to tell you how immensely grateful I am for what you did for me.'

'That does not come even close to the gratitude we all owe you for destroying the Elder Wand, Neville. I am coming with you as the Head Healer will write the conclusion in Latin and as far as I have seen, his spelling in the noble dead language is exactly that – dead!'

Frank Longbottom laughed. 'You know, Neville has a great taste for friends. He probably has inherited it from me, hasn't he, Alice?' he teased his wife.

'Of course, darling, MY great taste for friends is still intact and with me!'

* * *

Neville inperiused the Head Healer and Tanassov dictated the diagnose, the treatment and the discharge note. He could hear over healer's quill screech some parts of phrases while Neville was trying to cram almost eighteen years worth in few sentences: 'Riddle went berserk… Harry, the son of your friends the Potters… The Malfoy brat took my Remembral…'You destroyed my wand?' 'Not only yours, Dad, I seem to be good at that! …Severus Snape's double agent, not a traitor,.. Gran fought them, you will be proud of the old battle ax!' 'You are not talking about my mum like that!' 'Dad, she said so! You may ask her in few minutes! '

Damn the incompetent brat behind the desk. The bureaucrat had robbed the child of his parents and them of the pleasure to see him grow. He was not worth a drop of Neville's tears! Tanassov took out his wand. 'Usually it is a blessing, but not in your case! Let you strive for perfection in your profession, whatever you choose!' The spell dropped on the table like a tiny ball of light and the Healer caught it. It dissolved in his hand.

'Here are the releases, although I think I should have been more careful with my handwriting!' The Head Healer was surprised by himself. He let his night visitors out and warded carefully the yard again. He needed to read more about that Latin sequence of tenses form he had used in the dossier, he could not fathom why. And that wall needed paint, and the door was grimy. His staff could be more efficient for the money they got!

* * *

Later that night Krum, Tanassov and Luna picked up their gear and bid their goodbyes. Danail had decided to stay a little in Britain to get to know better the half brother he had not known he had, but promised to return to Durmstrang in time for the school year. Severus, Aline and Hagrid went to see their departing guests off. Luna held Blacky for the sniffing Hagrid to pat him. The giant was deeply saddened when both Krum and Tanassov had independently confirmed that the animal was not for sale under any circumstances. The Grounds Keeper however was promised a consolation price – Minerva had given him the egg the Mother-eagle had dropped in her lap. If he was lucky, he would have a fire-breathing eagle, all for himself!

'How about we race you – me and Luna on Blacky and you may choose an eagle?' Tanassov challenged his friend.

'Why not?' the elder Krum smiled in his mustache and mounted the Mother-eagle.

He was already eating his lamb tripe soup in the yard and the eagles were slurping theirs when Blacky landed.

'How did you do it?' Tanassov was flabbergasted. 'Blacky is supposed to be the fastest flier on the Earth!'

'He still is, my friend, he still is. But the eagles are not from Earth as you know. It is hard to beat the birds of Zeus!'

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_Alex the Kritikanzer's final notes_: Dear readers, here ends a journey and I hope you enjoyed it while it lasted. Have a great day and I hope we will meet again! _  
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